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Dunning–Kruger effect

A pattern in which low skill can also limit a person's ability to recognize their errors.

Published 04 August 2026Updated 04 August 2026

The Dunning–Kruger effect describes a relationship between competence and self-assessment: people with limited skill may lack some of the knowledge needed to evaluate their own performance. It does not mean that every beginner is maximally confident or that experts always underestimate themselves.

Sources

Debiasing Decisions: Improved Decision Making With a Single Training Intervention

Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences / 2015 / Paper

Longitudinal experiments testing video and game-based debiasing interventions.