Dunning-Kruger Syndrome, 3

David Dunning in his book Self-insight: Roadblocks and Detours on the Path to Knowing Thyself. Psychology Press, 2005 (p. 14–15) pointed out in essence that you only know what you know. He referred to the Dunning-Kruger Syndrome as "the anosognosia of everyday life.” This term refers to a condition in which an individual with some type of disability either denies or seems unaware of his or her physical incapacity. Dunning said: "If you're incompetent, you can't know you're incompetent. . . . The skills you need to produce a right answer are exactly the skills you need to recognize what a right answer is.” The pattern of overestimation of competence appeared in studies of reading comprehension, of the practice of medicine, of motor-vehicle operation, and the playing of games such as chess and tennis. Dunning and Kruger's research also indicated that training in a task, such as solving a logic puzzle, increases one’s ability to accurately evaluate how good they are at that task.