Learn how the Dunning-Kruger effect makes people overestimate their skills and knowledge in various domains. Find out the research, examples, and ways to overcome this bias. Learn about the cognitive bias that makes people overestimate their knowledge or ability in a specific area. Find out how to avoid it, who is impacted by it, and what are the opposite and related biases. Dunning-Kruger effect, in psychology, a cognitive bias whereby people with limited knowledge or competence in a given intellectual or social domain greatly overestimate their own knowledge or competence in that domain relative to objective criteria or to the performance of their peers or of people in general. The Dunning-Kruger effect occurs when a person’s lack of knowledge and skill in a certain area causes them to overestimate their own competence. By contrast, this effect also drives those who excel in a given area to think the task is simple for everyone, leading them to underestimate their abilities. In the years following the first description of this phenomenon, controversy has surrounded the Dunning-Kruger effect and its validity. While it was once considered a well-founded explanation ...
