The Dunning-Kruger Effect

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The Dunning-Kruger Effect

Idris Elba Can Do Anything

Part 1:  0:00-4:00

Discuss your answers.

1. How did MacArthur Wheeler test his way of making himself invisible?

2. What did Kruger and Dunning discover about the least proficient students. Why exactly was this?

3. What does their confidence feel like to them?

4. What is "salience bias"?

5. What is the effect of making an "incendiary statement" in the media?

6. What does the experiment with Chinese characters show about the effect of repetition?

7. What does Donald Trump say about Climate Change?



Part 2:  4:00 – end

 

Write your answers

1. Why is pointing to facts often ineffective at changing people's opinions?

Because…

2. What happened in the experiment with the pictures of faces?

What happened in the experiment with the pictures of faces was…

3. What does it show?

It shows that…

4. What is more convincing than facts alone?

_____________is more convincing than facts alone.

5. What tactic is Trump not well known for?

Trump is not well known for…

6. What is Stephen Fry suggesting we need to do to stop Trump?

Stephen Fry suggesting we need to…

7. What is the greatest enemy of knowledge?

The greatest enemy of knowledge is…

Student responses -
Check the highlighted bits

1. How did MacArthur Wheeler test his way of making himself invisible?

McArthur Wheeler has taken a picture of himself after rubbing lemons his face, to proof that he´s now invisible, but apparently he didn't placed the camera properly, so he wasn't in the picture himself.

Compare

McArthur Wheeler took a picture of himself after rubbing lemons his face, to prove that  he was now invisible, but apparently he didn't place the camera properly, so he wasn't in the picture himself.

2. What did Kruger and Dunning discover about the least proficient students. Why exactly was this?

The professors Dunning and Kruger were inspired by McArthur Wheeler and their experiments shows, that the least proficient students overestimate their own abilities dramatically. They found that the people with a lower ability do not possess the skills needed to recognize their own incompetence. They overestimate their own abilities, due to poor self-awareness and low cognitive ability.

No comma necessary:

 experiments show that

 abilities due

3. What does their confidence feel like to them?

People who fit into the picture of Kruger and Dunning, do not question whether they are right with their point of view, they feel good and are stuck in an illusion of knowledge.

Do you know anyone who is an example of the Dunning Kruger effect? Write briefly about what they're like and what they tend to do.

I once worked in a small boutique hotel in Berlin and the owner of the hotel didn't had any experience in hotel business, as he were a Language Class manager for a long period of time.

He was thinking that his experience in traveling would be enough to lead a whole hotel. It was more important for him, that everything looks good in the hotel instead of making it functional for the employees. He had never learned how to deal with guests, complaints or emergencies in the hotel business, but he was so certain that his decisions, his knowledge and his service character are perfect and he never listened to the professionals he hired himself. In addition, he always spoke very loudly and made himself physically bigger than he is, so he manages until now the hotel with a lot of self-confidence but little knowledge.

have

had been

thought 
manage
him that
looked
style of service were
puffed himself up 
he was. So 
has continued to manage the hotel until now

4. What is "salience bias"?

Salience Bias means, that if people focus on items or information that are more prominent or widespread and ignore those that are less and create a bias of things that are striking and perceptible or use available traits to make a judgment about a person or a situation.

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Salience Bias means that people tend to focus on items or information that are more prominent or widespread and ignore those that are less so,  creating a bias towards things that are striking and perceptible. Or it can mean the use of available traits to make a judgment about a person or a situation.

5. What is the effect of making an "incendiary statement" in the media?

An Incendiary statement is like an explosion with words f.e. “All immigrants are evil” and 

if such a statement is spread in the media, it spreads like a fire and many people believe it, because it comes from people who must have done their research properly, otherwise they would not share it with the world. They start to have bias and they no longer examine facts.

Compare

An incendiary statement is like an explosion with words e.g. “All immigrants are evil” and 

if such a statement is spread in the media, it spreads like wildfire and many people believe it, because it is perceived as coming from people who must have done their research properly, otherwise they would not share it with the world. They start to form biases and they no longer examine facts.

NB: A good word to use in this situation would be "entrenched": (of an attitude, habit, or belief) firmly established and difficult or unlikely to change; ingrained.

Once people have formed biases, it is very hard to change their minds, because their views have become entrenched. 

6. What does the experiment with Chinese characters show about the effect of repetition?

It shows that the more often people are hearing or reading the same statements or pictures, 

the higher the chance that they believe it.

have heard or read 

Why might it be that we have a more positive attitude to things that are more familiar? Write down you own thoughts on this.

I think people are more confident with more familiar things even if it's not a always positive. 

We already know that we have already been through this situation or that we have already explored this place, so it is easier for us to go into this situation without much thought. (Great answer!)

7. What does Donald Trump say about Climate Change?

“The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.”

8. What is the Dunning-Kruger effect, exactly?

The Dunning-Kruger effect is a type of cognitive bias in which people truly believe their capabilities and knowledge level is higher than it really is, they simply believe that they are smarter and more capable than they really are. Low ability people do not possess the skills needed to recognize their own incompetence. They overestimate their own capabilities due to poor self-awareness and low cognitive ability.

Compare

The Dunning-Kruger effect is a type of cognitive bias in which people truly believe the level of their capabilities and knowledge is higher than it really is. They simply believe that they are smarter and more capable than they really are. People of low ability often do not possess the skills needed to recognize their own incompetence. They overestimate their own capabilities due to poor self-awareness and low cognitive ability.