The Dunning-Kruger effect the paradox of the incompetent

Much of the difficulties that the world is going through are due to the ignorant are completely safe and the intelligent full of doubts.

The previous appointment comes from the philosopher Bertrand Russell and psychological research has shown that he was absolutely right.

The Dunning-Kruger effect: our distorted self-perception

According to which individuals with few skills or knowledge think exactly the opposite; They are considered smarter than other more prepared people, are in the certainty that they are superior to others, thus measuring their ability over the real ability. This bias or distortion is due to cognitive disability of the subject of recognizing his own ineptitude, Because his real ability would weaken his own confidence and self -esteem. On the contrary, competent individuals falsely assume that others have a capacity or knowledge equivalent to their own.

David Dunning and Justin Kruger of the University of Cornell were the ones who studied and described this curious phenomenon, concluding that: "The bad measurement of the incompetent is due to an error on itself, while the bad measurement of the competent is due to an error about others".

These two psychologists conducted a rigorous experiment that was published in The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology In December 1999, and which is based on the following principles:

1. Incompetent individuals tend to overestimate their own skills.
2. Incompetent individuals are unable to recognize true skills in others.

Both Kruger and Dunning had previously investigated the phenomenon known by psychologists according to which most people tend to value themselves well above the average, when it is statistically impossible: thus, it is hardly understandable that 98% of University professors, according to a study, are convinced that they work better than others.

To verify these hypotheses, the researchers recruited a group of students from the psychology career that had to complete a series of logical, grammar and humorous thinking tests. The researchers then showed the scores they had obtained and asked to estimate which position they could have reached in the general table. The final results were really revealing:

• The brightest students, far superior to their peers, they estimated that they were below.
• Mediocre students were considered above average
• The students topped They were convinced of being among the best: in fact, the more useless the individual was, the safer he was doing things right.

This experiment was repeated four more occasions, and the same results were always obtained. Speaking in statistical terms, Students who, due to the scores obtained among 12% of the worst rating, were self-classified within what would be 62% better. Meanwhile, people with real knowledge tend to underestimate their competition. Thus, the most incompetent, according to Dr. Kruger, suffered a double grievance: "Not only do they reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate decisions, but their incompetence prevents them from realizing it". In any case, and as the Dunning-Kruger effect has been pointed out, Charles Darwin's old maxim is reaffirmed: "Ignorance engenders more confidence than knowledge".

Fortuna. Therefore, the solution proposed to this cognitive bias would be that the incompetent should be told directly that it is incompetent.

Subsequently, in 2004, researchers at Columbia University confirmed that The Dunning-Kruger effect not only applied to the areas of intellectual skills but also in motor areas, Interpersonal skills and communication.

Positive side and negative side of the Dunnig-Kruger effect

The worst of all this is not only the uncomfortable and irritating that it can become a person who suffers from the Dunning-Kruger effect, but that his incompetence also leads him to make erroneous decisions and, as if that were not enough, he prevents him from realizing it. Another aggravating one that is added to this cumbersome effect, is that incompetent people have probably been receiving all kinds of comments on it for years, but has never done effect. Thus, despite the multiple comments and, surely spoil tasks in their work often, the incompetent still do not believe they are incompetent.

The positive side of all this is that, according to some detractors of the Dunning-Kruger effect, the fact of overestimate our own skills It can be an indicator of psychological well -being. So you know, if you suffer from this effect you can be an incompetent, but fortunately you will be satisfied with yourself and with your achievements.