The Dunning Kruger Effect
Over the weekend I drove up to Macorna to perform a show for the local football club.
Each year, they bring up someone a bit different to entertain the locals and get a bit of extra support for the club. Since there isn’t much of township and most of the residents are spread over farms and properties, the club is a focal point for the community.
On the drive up I was listening to the science show and a discussion on The Dunning-Kruger effect, a pyschological phenemonan that shows that, in the words of Bertrand Russel, “the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.”
Dunning and Kruger asked a group of students to predict how well they had performed on a simple test. Those who thought they had done well, tended to perform badly whereas those who were more critical of their performance, tended to be underestimating their abilities.
You can listen to the story here.
The Dunning Kruger effect could also be applied to gullibility.
Many people I speak to about scams can not believe how the victim’s of fraud and swindles could be so gullible, so stupid. Yet it is this over confidence in their own ability to spot a scam that will, eventually, trip them up.
It’s very easy to pass judgement on others with the benefit of hindsight (fun too) but most victims of scams are intelligent people who got a little too careless and a little too cocky for their own good.
But not me…never me…
2 Comments to
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