1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,020 Hello and welcome. My name is Kyle and this is How You Level Up, a podcast that decodes language 2 00:00:09,020 --> 00:00:23,380 to help you become your best self. Today we ask, what is the illusion of knowledge? 3 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:27,860 To understand what this is, we should start with the Dunning-Kruger effect. 4 00:00:27,860 --> 00:00:34,940 This effect is a cognitive bias identified by psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger in 1999. 5 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:44,860 Their research demonstrated that people with limited knowledge or competence in a particular domain often overestimate their own ability and knowledge. 6 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:56,060 In their paper, which influenced later developments, unskilled and unaware of it, how difficulties in recognizing one's own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments. 7 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:04,040 Dunning and Kruger conducted a series of studies that revealed a significant gap between perceived and actual competence. 8 00:01:04,820 --> 00:01:13,140 Participants in the lowest 25% of performance often rated their abilities as significantly higher than their objective scores indicated. 9 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:15,780 This isn't surprising to hear. 10 00:01:16,580 --> 00:01:24,900 For if you take a survey of your friends and ask them, where do you think your driving skill level is in comparison to each other? 11 00:01:24,900 --> 00:01:30,100 They are all likely going to say that their own skill level is above average. 12 00:01:30,100 --> 00:01:33,860 Yet, not everyone's skill level can be above average. 13 00:01:33,860 --> 00:01:51,521 That negates the definition of what average means and measures Our overestimation of skill and knowledge occurs because those of us with limited knowledge lack the metacognitive ability to recognize our deficiencies As Dunning and 14 00:01:51,521 --> 00:01:57,661 Kruger put it, the same knowledge that underlies the ability to produce correct judgment is also 15 00:01:57,661 --> 00:02:03,421 the knowledge that underlies the ability to recognize correct judgment. Metacognition is 16 00:02:03,421 --> 00:02:09,621 your ability to observe and understand your own thought process. It's thinking about your thinking. 17 00:02:10,561 --> 00:02:15,781 So in practice, this would be your recognition that you learn something faster when you take 18 00:02:15,781 --> 00:02:21,621 handwritten notes during a meeting rather than typing it out, or that you solve problems more 19 00:02:21,621 --> 00:02:27,221 effectively after stepping away for a brief walk, or that during a presentation or public speaking, 20 00:02:27,221 --> 00:02:33,161 you catch yourself speaking too quickly and consciously adjust your pace. Metacognition is 21 00:02:33,161 --> 00:02:38,741 your understanding of your strengths and limitations, then changing, adapting, and even 22 00:02:38,741 --> 00:02:44,461 reaching out for assistance or guidance when you know you're lacking. The illusion of knowledge 23 00:02:44,461 --> 00:02:51,081 has implications. It has impact. Overconfident students will neglect to study and fail to seek 24 00:02:51,081 --> 00:02:56,741 help, believing they understand materials better than they do. Employees who overestimate their 25 00:02:56,741 --> 00:03:01,761 abilities may take tasks beyond their competence, leading to mistakes and decreased productivity. 26 00:03:01,761 --> 00:03:05,601 The illusion of knowledge can be particularly dangerous in healthcare, 27 00:03:05,601 --> 00:03:10,601 where doctors and practitioners must accurately assess their skills and knowledge. 28 00:03:10,601 --> 00:03:16,601 An overconfident healthcare provider may make diagnostic errors or inappropriate treatment decisions. 29 00:03:16,601 --> 00:03:30,403 Can we fault the student who feels confident about remembering the materials in class yet cannot recall when given a test Can we criticize the employee for failing to execute their project leading to a loss of a client 30 00:03:31,283 --> 00:03:35,123 Can we blame the healthcare provider who has mountains of knowledge about medicine, 31 00:03:35,703 --> 00:03:40,763 though they cannot identify a behavioral or nutritional change that resolves a malady? 32 00:03:41,483 --> 00:03:47,303 Can we blame people when they're taught to use a hammer and then perceive everything as a nail? 33 00:03:47,683 --> 00:03:54,283 No, we cannot condemn these people for their inability to see something they do not know existed. 34 00:03:55,463 --> 00:03:57,343 What we can do is we can give feedback. 35 00:03:58,063 --> 00:04:01,183 What we can hope for is that they're willing to learn from their mistakes. 36 00:04:01,803 --> 00:04:05,523 What we can share are the lessons, the data, the supporting evidence, 37 00:04:05,963 --> 00:04:10,023 so that they might learn more and pray they are willing to be open to learn, 38 00:04:10,403 --> 00:04:13,763 to step outside and beyond their illusion of knowledge. 39 00:04:13,763 --> 00:04:22,083 for the enemy of knowledge is not ignorance it is the illusion of knowledge humility is necessary 40 00:04:22,083 --> 00:04:28,543 to escape the illusion of knowledge humility that you are wrong about things frequently that you 41 00:04:28,543 --> 00:04:34,523 will be embarrassed about your incorrectness your incompetence and that it will be okay 42 00:04:34,523 --> 00:04:41,323 because your growth is on the other side of this there are more than 200 000 words in the english 43 00:04:41,323 --> 00:04:46,603 language, and there are, on average, two or three distinct meanings for each word. 44 00:04:47,643 --> 00:04:52,443 The word bank is a financial institution and also the river's edge. 45 00:04:53,883 --> 00:04:57,723 Polysemi is the definition for a single word having multiple meanings. 46 00:04:58,523 --> 00:05:11,704 You can run a race run a business and run out of milk Metaphorical extensions are boundless based on creativity and context This means there are somewhere between 500 to a million distinct meaning definitions 47 00:05:12,124 --> 00:05:13,644 and that's just English. 48 00:05:14,164 --> 00:05:16,144 You cannot know all of them. 49 00:05:16,824 --> 00:05:22,504 You cannot know each of their definitions, their uses, how they are abstract or practically applied. 50 00:05:23,604 --> 00:05:25,864 You can stay in an illusory state. 51 00:05:26,544 --> 00:05:30,424 You can deceive and trick yourself into thinking you're right more often than not. 52 00:05:31,264 --> 00:05:34,244 You can willfully neglect the opportunity to grow and learn. 53 00:05:35,264 --> 00:05:37,824 Or you can be open to learning more. 54 00:05:38,404 --> 00:05:39,924 You can be willing to receive feedback. 55 00:05:40,744 --> 00:05:46,904 You can reframe hurt statements and leverage your emotions as signals for understanding more about yourself and those around you. 56 00:05:47,564 --> 00:05:55,024 You can learn from anyone, from everyone who has a different perspective, a different context-dependent distinction than you. 57 00:05:55,864 --> 00:06:02,804 if that's what you desire. It is a choice, I'll bet a difficult choice, to step into a space 58 00:06:02,804 --> 00:06:04,464 where you can level up. 59 00:06:09,644 --> 00:06:15,024 Thank you for listening to How You Level Up. If you're enjoying the show, subscribe and give a 60 00:06:15,024 --> 00:06:20,804 five-star rating. There are new episodes each month asking questions about timeless communication 61 00:06:20,804 --> 00:06:26,704 lessons. Language is a medium for sharing, and the knowledge unpacked here can be applied to anyone, 62 00:06:27,244 --> 00:06:32,564 anywhere, facing any challenge. If there's a question or topic you'd like me to dive into next, 63 00:06:33,104 --> 00:06:38,764 send a note to any of my connected social media accounts. This is all about how you level up.