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Zemla JC, Corral D. Subjective Understanding is Reduced by Mechanistic Framing. J Cogn 2024; 7:63. [PMID: 39072209 PMCID: PMC11276545 DOI: 10.5334/joc.393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024] Open
Abstract
People often believe that they have a good understanding of how devices work (e.g., how a ballpoint pen works), despite having poor knowledge of their internal mechanics. We hypothesized that this bias occurs in part because people conflate mechanistic understanding with functional understanding of how devices work (e.g., how to operate a ballpoint pen). In two experiments, we found that increasing the salience of mechanistic information led to lower judgments of understanding for how devices work. In Experiment 1, we did this by showing participants either the internal parts of a device or an external, whole-object view of that same device. Those who saw the internal parts rated their understanding as less than those who saw a whole-object view. In Experiment 2, we removed the pictures and instead tested participants (without feedback) on their mechanistic or functional knowledge using true-or-false questions. Those who were tested on mechanistic knowledge rated their understanding of devices as less than those who were tested on functional knowledge.
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Brashier NM, Ho CH, Hogue TK, Schacter DL. Retrieval fluency inflates perceived preparation for difficult problems. Memory 2024; 32:83-89. [PMID: 38109129 PMCID: PMC10865271 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2023.2284401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
When faced with a difficult problem, people often rely on past experiences. While remembering clearly helps us reach solutions, can retrieval also lead to misperceptions of our abilities? In three experiments, participants encountered "worst case scenarios" they likely had never experienced and that would be difficult to navigate without extensive training (e.g., bitten by snake). Learning brief tips improved problem-solving performance later, but retrieval increased feelings of preparation by an even larger margin. This gap occurred regardless of whether people thought that tips came from an expert or another participant in the study, and it did not reflect mere familiarity with the problems themselves. Instead, our results suggest that the ease experienced while remembering, or retrieval fluency, inflated feelings of preparation.
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Kraeutner SN, Karlinsky A, Besler Z, Welsh TN, Hodges NJ. What we imagine learning from watching others: how motor imagery modulates competency perceptions resulting from the repeated observation of a juggling action. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2023; 87:2583-2593. [PMID: 37266707 PMCID: PMC10236399 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-023-01838-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Although motor learning can occur from observing others perform a motor skill (action observation; AO), observers' confidence in their own ability to perform the skill can be falsely increased compared to their actual ability. This illusion of motor competence (i.e., 'over-confidence') may arise because the learner does not gain access to sensory feedback about their own performance-a source of information that can help individuals understand their veridical motor capabilities. Unlike AO, motor imagery (MI; the mental rehearsal of a motor skill) is thought to be linked to an understanding of movement consequences and kinaesthetic information. MI may thus provide the learner with movement-related diagnostic information, leading to greater accuracy in assessing ability. The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of MI when paired with AO in assessments of one's own motor capabilities in an online observation task. Two groups rated their confidence in performing a juggling task following repeated observations of the action without MI (OBS group; n = 45) or with MI following observation (OBS+MI; n = 39). As predicted, confidence increased with repeated observation for both groups, yet increased to a greater extent in the OBS relative to the OBS+MI group. The addition of MI appeared to reduce confidence that resulted from repeated AO alone. Data support the hypothesis that AO and MI are separable and that MI allows better access to sensory information than AO. However, further research is required to assess changes in confidence that result from MI alone and motor execution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah N Kraeutner
- Neuroplasticity, Imagery, and Motor Behaviour Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Rm 204 -Arts and Sciences Centre (ASC), University of British Columbia, 3187 University Way, Okanagan, Kelowna, BC, V1V1V7, Canada.
| | - April Karlinsky
- Department of Kinesiology, California State University, San Bernardino, CA, 92407, USA
| | - Zachary Besler
- Motor Skills Lab, School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T1Z3, Canada
| | - Timothy N Welsh
- Centre for Motor Control Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 2C9, Canada
| | - Nicola J Hodges
- Motor Skills Lab, School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T1Z3, Canada
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Coane JH, Cipollini J, Beaulieu C, Song J, Umanath S. The influence of general knowledge test performance on self-ratings of and perceived relationships between intelligence, knowledge, and memory. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15723. [PMID: 37735179 PMCID: PMC10514288 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42205-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The present study examined how taking a general knowledge (GK) test affects perceptions of one's intelligence, memory, and knowledge and the relationship between these three constructs. Participants rated their abilities on each construct and the strength of the relationships between them before and after completing an easy or hard GK test or control task. In Experiment 1, participants were (mis)informed that GK questions were correctly answered by 50% of the population; in Experiment 2, no such information was provided. Regardless of (mis)information about others' performance, participants in the Hard condition believed they had a worse memory, were less knowledgeable, and were less intelligent post-task. However, the strength of the perceived relationship between GK and intelligence decreased only when participants were misled. Judgments of one's intelligence, memory, and knowledge can be manipulated by taking a GK test, and individuals engage in self-protective behavior to reduce the potential threat to one's self-concept.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer H Coane
- Department of Psychology, Colby College, Waterville, ME, 04901, USA.
| | - John Cipollini
- Department of Psychology, Colby College, Waterville, ME, 04901, USA
| | | | - Julianna Song
- Department of Psychology, Colby College, Waterville, ME, 04901, USA
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Jordan K, Zajac R, Bernstein D, Joshi C, Garry M. Trivially informative semantic context inflates people's confidence they can perform a highly complex skill. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:211977. [PMID: 35308623 PMCID: PMC8924756 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Some research suggests people are overconfident because of personality characteristics, lack of insight, or because overconfidence is beneficial in its own right. But other research fits with the possibility that fluent experience in the moment can rapidly drive overconfidence. For example, fluency can push people to become overconfident in their ability to throw a dart, know how rainbows form or predict the future value of a commodity. But surely there are limits to overconfidence. That is, even in the face of fluency manipulations known to increase feelings of confidence, reasonable people would reject the thought that they, for example, might be able to land a plane in an emergency. To address this question, we conducted two experiments comprising a total of 780 people. We asked some people (but not others) to watch a trivially informative video of a pilot landing a plane before they rated their confidence in their own ability to land a plane. We found watching the video inflated people's confidence that they could land a plane. Our findings extend prior work by suggesting that increased semantic context creates illusions not just of prior experience or understanding-but also of the ability to actually do something implausible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla Jordan
- School of Psychology, The University of Waikato, 1 Knighton Road, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
| | - Rachel Zajac
- School of Psychology, University of Otago, 362 Leith Street, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Daniel Bernstein
- Department of Psychology, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, 12666 72 Ave, Surrey, British Columbia V3W2M8, Canada
| | - Chaitanya Joshi
- School of Psychology, The University of Waikato, 1 Knighton Road, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
| | - Maryanne Garry
- School of Psychology, The University of Waikato, 1 Knighton Road, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
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