Just found an article on Wiki that explains nearly every Republican I know.

[Blue-Jay]

Interesting stuff, don'tcha think?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Dunning–Kruger effect

The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which an unskilled person makes poor decisions and reaches erroneous conclusions, but their incompetence denies them the metacognitive ability to realize their mistakes. The unskilled therefore suffer from illusory superiority, rating their own ability as above average, much higher than it actually is, while the highly skilled underrate their abilities, suffering from illusory inferiority. This leads to the perverse situation in which less competent people rate their own ability higher than more competent people. It also explains why actual competence may weaken self-confidence: because competent individuals falsely assume that others have an equivalent understanding. "Thus, the miscalibration of the incompetent stems from an error about the self, whereas the miscalibration of the highly competent stems from an error about others."

Similar notions have been expressed–albeit less scientifically–for some time. Dunning and Kruger themselves quote Charles Darwin ("Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge") and Bertrand Russell ("One of the painful things about our time is that those who feel certainty are stupid, and those with any imagination and understanding are filled with doubt and indecision."). The Dunning-Kruger Effect is not, however, concerned narrowly with high-order cognitive skills (much less their application in the political realm during a particular era, which is what Russell was talking about.) Nor is it specifically limited to the observation that ignorance of a topic is conducive to overconfident assertions about it, which is what Darwin was saying. Indeed, Dunning et al. cite a study saying that 94% of college professors rank their work as "above average" (relative to their peers), to underscore that the highly intelligent and informed are hardly exempt. Rather, the effect is about paradoxical defects in perception of skill, in oneself and others, regardless of the particular skill and its intellectual demands, whether it is chess, playing golf or driving a car.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

[SpiralHawk]

1. "Smirk." - Republicon Homelanders

"Everything will be just fine as long as we watch the corporate TV programs we are supposed to, and do what our corporate overlords program us to do. Rage is good. Hate is love. War is peace. Stupid is smart. Smirk."

- Republicon Homelanders

[Hydra]

27. Let me help you boil that down even more for you

Because a fundie/wingnut I used to work with put it in blindingly clear terms:

"Everything that's wrong with America can be fixed by shutting down Berkley."

As long as we all think the same, believe the same things, and do the same things(all handed down by the approved source), then everything will be perfect.

[lady lib]

35. Considering that John Yoo works there and

that they have one of the largest college Republican clubs in California, he might have been unwittingly right!

;)

[Hydra]

40. She :p

And that's funny. But maybe it wouldn't bother her? Original ideas seem to be her pet peeve.

[tabatha]

2. Perfect.

[supernova]

3. That would make sense

that "The unskilled therefore suffer from illusory superiority."

Generally, as you go up the educational ladder, if education has the desired effect, you become overall aware of how much you *don't* know and therefore the limitations of your thinking/abilities.

[Wednesdays]

5. "If you think you're happy, you are. If you think you're wise, you're not."

nt

[Odin2005]

46. Socrates was called the wisest man in Greece because he admitted his ignorance.

[northernlights]

53. and the more experience you get in actual doing

the more you learn can go wrong...and the more you worry about what you haven't yet discovered that can go wrong...till you're hard put to tie your own shoelaces :rofl:

[MisterP]

4. so THAT'S how Family Circus hangs on after 50 years nt

[greiner3]

23. Have you ever seen Family Circus;

Done with text from Nietzsche? Hilarious. It makes reading now ones ok because you can guess what quote from the philosopher they would use.

[jdp349]

6. good find

[Blue-Jay]

8. You should check out the actual study.

I'm reading it right now, and it's fascinating.

PDF format: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.64.2655&rep=rep1&type=pdf

[jdp349]

11. better find hehe

[uponit7771]

7. The first SENTENCE explains 70% of GOPrs

[Birthmark]

9. I knew exactly what this was going to be...

...when I saw the headline. But then, I'm extraordinarily smart and capable. ;)

[Hissyspit]

36. LOL

I think I'm as smart as you, too, but I have my doubts.

[tom_paine]

10. Want to learn more about this very complex topic?

Check this out:

http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/

[Go2Peace]

15. Incredible information! Must read and actually not dry reading..

thanks for the great link

[Larry Ogg]

41. The Authoritarians is an absolutely must read book, so thanks for mentioning it...

One of the important lessons learned is that “authoritarian” is a character trait, and according to the author Bob Altemeyer, high scoring authoritarians “tend to be” conservative, but you will find authoritarians amongst any political ideology, (cough) even those on the left that call themselves liberal because of party affiliation (cough - cough)...

The point is that all ideologies, political parties and politicians have authoritarian followers (not to mention sheep dogs), and they will use instinct over reason, faith over knowledge and they will ruthlessly defend their views when threatened by information that would show their views or leaders to be in error.

So yes I would highly recommend that people read the “Authoritarians”, doing so could make you less of one, and like someone once said, “The truth will set you free…”

[BrklynLiberal]

51. Thanks for this incredible link.

[unblock]

12. and yet self-confidence is invariably mistaken for skill

and a lack of self-confidence is invariably mistaken for a lack of skill.

in fact, a LOT of what most job interviews are all about is determining the applicant's self-confidence as a proxy for determining actual skill.

shows how wrong-headed that approach is.


the confident are confident because they don't know what they don't know.
it's the ones who know enough to see all sorts of complexity who have the doubts.

[Jackpine Radical]

13. Also known as the Lake Wobegon Effect

Named for that wonderful place just up the road from Gopher Prairie, Minnesota--where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.

[emulatorloo]

14. Very interesting, thanks for posting it n/t

[Go2Peace]

16. K&R - Very important to understand how Authoritarian personalities affect the world

[alfredo]

17. "Conservatives Without Conscience" by John Dean - read it

[lumberjack_jeff]

20. Yes, sir. n/t

[alfredo]

21. It is good basic knowledge to help you understand the mindset

that led to what we see in "The Shock Doctrine", "The Dark Side", "The Family", and "Imperial Life in the Emerald City."

[lumberjack_jeff]

22. I was hoping my deference to authority would be sufficient.

You mean I have to think too? ;)

I thought that "read this" was odd, in the context of a thread talking about authoritarianism.

[alfredo]

29. Thought is the enemy of authoritarians.

[alfredo]

48. BTW, "Read This" is a suggestion, not an order. ;)

[stevedeshazer]

18. Thanks for posting this, Blue-Jay

It is fascinating. Mrs. D and I have been discussing this; now it has a name.

[lpbk2713]

19. Squirrel?

Good find. I'll try to remember this.

[Flagrante]

24. I can easily see the right sighting the same effect

I can easily see the right sighting the same effect as evidence of the delusions suffered by the left. What would be more telling are comparisons of IQ and education level vs. political affiliation. My gut tells me that the smarter and more educated lean left, and the dumber and less educated lean right. Remember this list of average state IQ vs. Kerry/Bush vote?

State Avg. IQ 2004
1 Connecticut 113 Kerry
2 Massachusetts 111 Kerry
3 New Jersey 111 Kerry
4 New York 109 Kerry
5 Rhode Island 107 Kerry
6 Hawaii 106 Kerry
7 Maryland 105 Kerry
8 New Hampshire 105 Kerry
9 Illinois 104 Kerry
10 Delaware 103 Kerry
11 Minnesota 102 Kerry
12 Vermont 102 Kerry
13 Washington 102 Kerry
14 California 101 Kerry
15 Pennsylvania 101 Kerry
16 Maine 100 Kerry
17 Virginia 100 Bush
18 Wisconsin 100 Kerry
19 Colorado 99 Bush
20 Iowa 99 Bush
21 Michigan 99 Kerry
22 Nevada 99 Bush
23 Ohio 99 Bush
24 Oregon 99 Kerry
25 Alaska 98 Bush
26 Florida 98 Bush
27 Missouri 98 Bush
28 Kansas 96 Bush
29 Nebraska 95 Bush
30 Arizona 94 Bush
31 Indiana 94 Bush
32 Tennessee 94 Bush
33 North Carolina 93 Bush
34 West Virginia 93 Bush
35 Arkansas 92 Bush
36 Georgia 92 Bush
37 Kentucky 92 Bush
38 New Mexico 92 Bush
39 North Dakota 92 Bush
40 Texas 92 Bush
41 Alabama 90 Bush
42 Louisiana 90 Bush
43 Montana 90 Bush
44 Oklahoma 90 Bush
45 South Dakota 90 Bush
46 South Carolina 89 Bush
47 Wyoming 89 Bush
48 Idaho 87 Bush
49 Utah 87 Bush
50 Mississippi 85 Bush

[Lorien]

26. They can't cite the same effect without evidence. It was G. W. Bush who just "went with his gut"

and got us into this mess. Many Right Wingers proudly proclaim that they "don't need no book learnin'. I use me some common sense instead!" Repugs are proud of their ignorance and their certainty. The Left, on the other hand, is often hobbled by it's uncertainty. We waffle, we don't take bold action and it's mostly due to doubts that are raised while weighing many factors. Thus the public often chooses the leader who seems dead certain of his or her actions even if they disagree with that person's ideology. Certainty is comforting-especially in uncertain times. This is why the Dems need to make a distinction between themselves and the Right Wing, then chose a bold course of action.

[Hydra]

32. GW played them

"There are 2 types of Republicans- Billionaires and Suckers"

[marketbreakaway]

31. This is a joke, right?

Would you mind telling your source for the average IQ's please. I come from NY and live in Florida and there is no way that I can believe that the people of NY have 11 points more IQ score. In fact, I would have thought that it was the opposite. Naturally I am seeing Florida from a middle class neighborhood near Ft. Lauderdale and I saw NY from a city worker living in Staten Island. But, and I am being honest here, everyone that I knew in NY who could got out of NY. Once again, would you mind posting your source for IQ scores. TIA

[jobycom]

34. You're right, it's bogus. Both sides make up stuff like this, and they never die.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/ballot/stateiq.asp

The OP's effect wasn't about intelligence, anyway, it's about the ability to analyze one's abilities accurately. An uneducated person of low intelligence can be quite aware of his or her skills and limitations, whereas a brilliant scientist can think he or she is infallible in all aspects of life.

[marketbreakaway]

42. Thank you.

Guess I am gullible...

[Generic Other]

33. Oh My! The Moran Scale of Intelligence!!! LOL

I never saw that one before, but it sure is telling!!

[JDPriestly]

39. Where in the world do you get the numbers for the average IQs?

I cannot believe that there are states in which the average IQ is below 90. Please tell me it isn't so. Please give your source for those figures.

[ClassicLiberalRoss]

49. Well, these are fascinating numbers, Flagrante...

-- but how do you reconcile your belief in the validity of IQ scores with the vast IQ DIFFERENTIAL among the races? (And yes, there most definitely is one)

Speaking for myself, as a member of one of these so-called "double-digit" minorities, I hope to hell that one's IQ is not particularly reflective of one's intelligence.

[Myrina]

25. too stupid and ignorant to realize they're stupid and ignorant.

:freak:

[Dawson Leery]

28. Sounds similiar to most right wingers I have ever known.

[Lorien]

30. It also explains nearly every Democrat

"It also explains why actual competence may weaken self-confidence: because competent individuals falsely assume that others have an equivalent understanding. "Thus, the miscalibration of the incompetent stems from an error about the self, whereas the miscalibration of the highly competent stems from an error about others.""

Like trusting BP, Banksters and corporations to "police themselves." It also explains the waffling and lack of decisive action by so many in the Democratic party. Unfortunately, the people generally trust a confident leader over one who doesn't have the courage of his or her convictions.

[TrogL]

37. otherwise known as "so stupid they don't know they're stupid"

I've got at least three people in my life right now that fit this to a T.

[Blue-Jay]

38. It isn't really about stupid/not stupid.

The reason I found the study interesting and applicable, is that 99% of my conservative acquaintances are unable to discuss politics with any level of level of knowledge and/or political acumen. Oh, they think they know a lot, but when presented with actual facts, they either revert to restating their bullshit talking points (infinite loop) or decide to "agree to disagree" (ack!) and change the subject to some other reason why liberals are wrong about something.

They vastly overestimate their skills in political discourse and knowledge of any particular issue. Some of these people are otherwise very intelligent in other areas.

[mia]

43. humility : arrogance :: sage : bully

Thanks for posting this. I enjoyed the way they concluded their study.


Concluding Remarks
In sum, we present this article as an exploration into why people
tend to hold overly optimistic and miscalibrated views about
themselves. We propose that those with limited knowledge in a
domain suffer a dual burden: Not only do they reach mistaken
conclusions and make regrettable errors, but their incompetence
robs them of the ability to realize it. Although we feel we have
done a competent job in making a strong case for this analysis,
studying it empirically, and drawing out relevant implications, our
thesis leaves us with one haunting worry that we cannot vanquish.
That worry is that this article may contain faulty logic, methodological
errors, or poor communication. Let us assure our readers
that to the extent this article is imperfect, it is not a sin we have
committed knowingly.

[lunatica]

44. Once I thought I was mistaken but I was wrong. n/t

[Odin2005]

45. It's rampant here on DU, too. Look in the Health Woo forum.

[RainDog]

47. kickety n/t

[BrklynLiberal]

50. wow. that is soooo accurate.

Charles Darwin ("Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge") and Bertrand Russell ("One of the painful things about our time is that those who feel certainty are stupid, and those with any imagination and understanding are filled with doubt and indecision."


The older I get, and the more I learn, the more I realize how little I know...

as opposed to the absolute arrogance of ignorance

Stunning!! absolutely stunning.

[Canuckistanian]

52. K&... well I tried to rec it

It's a good theory. One that merits more discussion.

[Supply Side Jesus]

54. DK

Drunk? no... Dunning-Kruger!