Dunning-Kruger effect
DUN-ing KROO-ger ih-FEKT
ˈdʌnɪŋ ˈkruːɡər ɪˈfɛktListen
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Dictionary meaning
a cognitive bias in which people with limited knowledge or skill in a particular domain overestimate their own competence, while highly competent people often underestimate theirs; described by David Dunning and Justin Kruger in their 1999 paper, the effect arises because the metacognitive skills needed to recognise one's own incompetence are the same skills one lacks; the effect has been replicated across many domains though its magnitude and interpretation remain subjects of academic debate, with some researchers arguing it is partly a statistical artefact
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