Dunning-Kruger effect

[ duhn-ing--kroo-ger i-fekt ]

noun

, Psychology.

1. the theory that a person who lacks skill or expertise also lacks the insight to accurately evaluate this deficit, resulting in a persistent inflation of estimated competence in self-assessments.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Dunning-Kruger effect¹

First recorded in 2000–05; named after David Dunning (born 1950) and Justin Kruger, U.S. social psychologists, following their article “Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments” (1999), and defined by Dunning in his article “The Dunning–Kruger Effect: On Being Ignorant of One's Own Ignorance” (2011)

Example Sentences

Its domain refers to the Dunning-Kruger effect, a cognitive bias concept in which people with little knowledge in a given area overestimate what they know.

From Seattle Times

His endless claims to know more than anyone else on every imaginable topic stand as peerless examples of the Dunning-Kruger effect, and his mental faculties have clearly continued to erode.

From Salon

Its members are also extreme examples of the Dunning-Kruger Effect, whereby a lack of knowledge leads to an overestimation of one’s competence.

From Los Angeles Times

The Dunning-Kruger effect is the idea that the least skilled people overestimate their abilities more than anyone else.

From Scientific American

For everyday people, the Dunning-Kruger effect seems true because the overly arrogant fool is a familiar and annoying stereotype.

From Scientific American