Reevaluating the Dunning-Kruger effect: A response to and replication of Gignac and Zajenkowski (2020)

Abstract

As applied to general intelligence, the Dunning-Kruger effect (DK) is the phenomenon in which individuals at the lower end of the intellectual ability distribution are more likely to overestimate their intelligence. In a recent article in Intelligence it was suggested that the DK is primarily a statistical artifact and, indeed, the application of more appropriate analyses led to a failure to replicate a significant effect. When some of the limitations (namely sample representativeness) were addressed and the more appropriate statistical methods were used in the current study, our analyses illustrated a statistically significant DK effect. However, the magnitude of the effect was minimal; bringing its meaningfulness into question. In conclusion, it is recommended that the conditions that result in a significant DK be further explored.