The truly incompetent may never know the depths of their own incompetence, a pair of social psychologists said on Thursday.” We found again and again that people who perform poorly relative to their peers tended to think that they did rather well," Justin Kruger, co-author of a study on the subject, said in a telephone interview.
Kruger and co-author David Dunning found that when it came to a variety of skills – logical reasoning, grammar, even sense of humor－people who essentially were inept never realized it, while those who had some ability were self-critical.
"It had little to do with innate modesty," Kruger said, "but rather with a central paradox: Incompetents lack the basic skills to evaluate their performance realistically. Once they get those skills, they know where they stand, even if that is at the bottom."
"Americans and Western Europeans especially had an unrealistically sunny assessment of their own capabilities," Dunning said by telephone in a separate interview, "while Japanese and Koreans tended to give a reasonable assessment of their performance. In certain areas, such as athletic performance, which can be easily quantified, there is less self-delusion, the researchers said. But even in some cases in which the failure should seem obvious, the perpetrator is blithely unaware of the problem."
This was especially true in the areas of logical reasoning, where research subjects –students at Cornell University, where the two researchers were based －often rated themselves highly even when they flubbed all questions in a reasoning test.
Later, when the students were instructed in logical reasoning, they scored better on a test but rate themselves lower, having learned what constituted competence in this area.
Grammar was another area in which objective knowledge was helpful in determining competence, but the more subjective area of humor posed different challenges, the researchers said.
Participants were asked to rate how funny certain jokes were, and compare their responses with what an expert panel of comedians thought. On average, participants overestimated their sense of humor by about 16 percentage points.
This might be thought of as the "above-average effect", the notion that most Americans would rate themselves as above average, a statistical impossibility.
The researchers also conducted pilot studies of doctors and gun enthusiasts. The doctors overestimated how well they had performed on a test of medical diagnoses and the gun fanciers thought they knew more than they actually did about gun safety.
So who should be trusted: The person who admits incompetence of the one who shows confidence Neither, according to Dunning.
"You can't take them at their word. You' vet got to take a look at their performance," Dunning added.
- Why do incompetent people rarely know they are inept
- They are too inept to know what competence is.
- They are not skillful at logical reasoning, grammar, and sense of humor.
- They lack the basic skills to evaluate their performance realistically.
- They have some ability to over criticize themselves.
- Which of the following statement is NOT true, according to the passage
- Students at Cornell University often rated themselves highly even when they flubbed all questions in a reasoning test.
- Grammar was an area in which objective knowledge was helpful in determining competence.
- Participants in the test estimated theft sense of humor by about 16 percentage points.
- Students scored better on a logical reasoning test but rated themselves lower.
- What do you know about "above-average effect" based on the passage
- Most Americans assess themselves as above average.
- American doctors overestimated how well they had performed on a test of medical diagnoses.
- American gun enthusiasts thought they knew more than they actually did about gun safety.
- All of the above.
核心词汇注释
peer n．同等的人，贵族
vi．凝视，窥视 vt.．与．．．同等，封为贵族
inept adj．不适当的，无能的，不称职的
innate adj．先天的，天生的
paradox n．似非而是的论点，自相矛盾的话
self-delusion n．自欺
blithe adj．愉快的，高兴的
flub vt．搞坏，把…搞得一团糟，做得不好，弄糟
vt．搞错，瞎搞 n．失策
comedian n．喜剧演员
diagnose v．诊断
fancier n．空想家，培育动物 (或植物)的行家，爱好者
长难句剖析
We found again and again teal people who perform poorly relative to their peers tended to think that they did rather well．
[结构分析]本句主干是We found…that people…tended to think that they did rather Well。people后面是who引导的定语从句。
[参考译文]我们一次又一次地发现，那些相对于同等人表现很差的人，往往认为他们做得相当好。
[文章难句 Kruger and co-author David Dunning found that when it came to a variety of skills － logical reasoning, grammar, even sense of humor － people who essentially were inept ( 无能的，愚蠢的 ) never realized it, while those who had some ability were self-critical.
[结构分析]本句中，that引导的宾语从句中一开始是由when引导的时间状语从句，破折号中间的部分是进一步解释前面的a variety of skills，后面出现了主句的主语people，紧接着是由who引导的定语从句修饰people，while是个连词，连接了宾语从句中两个并列的主句。
[参考译文]Kruger和合作者David Dunning发现当说到各种技巧，如逻辑推理、语法，甚至是幽默感的时候，那些无能之辈总是不知深浅，而那些有能力的人则是进行自我批评。
Later, when the students were instructed in logical reasoning，they scored better on a test but rate themselves lower, having learned what constituted competence in this area．
[结构分析]本句是一个主从复合句，主句是they…lower；when引导的是时间状语从句；
现在分词结构having learned…area作原因状语。
[参考译文]稍后，当学生们接受逻辑推理辅导的时候，他们考试成绩有所提高，但对自己的评价却降低了，因为他们知道这一方面的能力包含什么内容。
全文参考译文
两位社会心理学家在这个星期四说，真正没有能力的人也许永远不知道他们无能到何种程度。这一课题研究的合作者Justin Kruger在一次电话访谈中说：“我们一再地发现那些相对于同等人表现很差的人，往往认为他们做得相当好。”
Kruger和合作者David Dunning发现，当说到各种技巧，如逻辑推理、语法，甚至是幽默感的时候，那些没有能力的人总是不知深浅，而那些有能力的人则是进行自我批评。
“这和天性谦虚没有什么关系，”Kruger说，“不过却和一句自相矛盾的话有关：无能的人缺乏实际评估自己表现的基本技巧。一旦他们获得这样的技巧，他们就知道他们所在的位置，即使是处于最落后的位置。”
在一次单独采访中Dunning通过电话说：“尤其是美国人和西欧人对他们自己能力的评价高得不切实际，而日本人和韩国人常常对自己的表现进行合理的评价。研究者认为有些方面，像运动中的表现，可以轻易得到量化，这样自我欺骗就会比较少。但甚至在有些失败应当显而易见的情况下，事主仍然乐呵呵地没有意识到问题。”
这种情况在逻辑推理方面更是如此，在逻辑推理研究中，康奈尔大学是这两位研究人员的基地。作为研究受试者，那里的学生经常对自己评价过高，即便他们在逻辑推理考试中把所有问题都答得一团糟。
当学生们随后接受逻辑推理辅导的时候，他们考试成绩有所提高但对自己的评价却降低了，因为他们知道这一方面的能力包含什么内容。在语法这个领域中，研究人员说能力取决于客观知识，但更加主观的幽默提出了不同的挑战。
参与人员被要求评价某些笑话的有趣程度，接着把他们的答案与喜剧演员专家组的想法进行比较。参与者对自己的幽默感通常高估了16％。
这可能被认为是“中等偏上效果”，这个观点认为大多数美国人对自己的评价高于平均水平，在统计学上这是不可能的事情。
研究人员对医生和枪支迷进行了初步研究。医生都过高地估计他们在医学诊断考试中的成绩，枪支爱好者认为自己对枪支安全很了解，但事实上不是这样。
那么应该相信谁：那些承认自己无能的人，还是表现自信的人根据Dunning的观点，两者都不能相信。
Dunning补充说：“你不能相信他们的话。你应该看看他们的表现。”
题目答案解析
1． 没有能力的人很少能认识到他们无能的原因是什么 [答案]C
A．因为他们太过无能，以至于不知道能力是什么。
B．他们不擅长逻辑推理、语法和幽默感。
C．他们缺乏评价自己实际表现的基本技能。
D．他们有过度指责自己的能力。
[解析]本题可参照文章的第4段。从it had little to do with innate modesty和Incompetents lack the basic skills to evaluate their performance realistically可知C项是正确答案。
2． 根据本篇文章，以下哪一项陈述是错误的 [答案]C
A．康奈尔大学的学生经常对自己评价过高，即使他们在逻辑推理考试中把所有问题都 答得一团糟。
B．在语法这个领域中客观知识对能力有益。
C 参与者对自己的幽默感估计为16个百分点。
D．学生逻辑推理考试成绩有所提高但对自己的评价却降低了。
[解析]本题中，A、B、D三项在文中都曾提及，并与原文相符。C项与文章第8段的最后一句话participants overestimated their sense of humor by about l6 percentage points内容相悖，因此C项是正确答案。
3． 根据本篇文章，你对于“中等偏上效果”如何理解 [答案]D
A．大多数美国人评价自己为中等偏上。
B．美国医生高估了自己在医学诊断测试中的表现。
C．美国枪支爱好者认为他们了解的枪支的安全性知识比他们实际上了解的要多。
D．以上所有。
[解析]本题可参照文章的第9段。从中可知，the notion that most Americans would rate themselves as above average。而接下来的一段作者又举了两个例子，一个是美国的医生，还 有一个是枪支迷，因此D项是正确答案。