So whether you are smart as you think

Studies show that specialization leads to the fact that a person becomes less creative and more stubborn.

Experts Loyola University of Chicago conducted an experiment in which participants were asked simple questions on one subject. This was done so that the subjects felt knowing a certain thing. After that, scientists have estimated the transparency and objectivity of their judgments.

The conclusion of researchers was unexpected: the more we feel confident in a particular field of knowledge, the more closed and monosyllables think.

Dr. Victor Otatti (Victor Otatti) called this effect "the purchased dogmatism."

When an individual evaluates himself as an expert, he also thinks that gets the privilege to think and act more dogmatic.

Victor Otatti

On the one hand, it seems more than logical. If you spend a lot of time studying a certain subject, gaining knowledge and experience, you feel more confident. It is not only expected, but also justified. After all, how would you feel if, for example, went to a doctor who is not confident in their own knowledge and constantly changing view?

We are much more likely to listen to dogmatic and violent methods of expression, which means that - rather to the experts than novices.

The reverse side of the result of the study, however, looks completely illogical. So, there is that sense of relaxation and success - which is often experienced experts, not novices - stimulates in us the openness and breadth of judgment.

When it comes to the adaptation of new knowledge, the expert has a significant advantage. He is able to evaluate the information received and skillfully implement it in the existing paradigm. This is not a beginner can: he is more likely to make a mistake and did not notice the omission, do not have a sufficient base of knowledge and experience.

Could it be that the closeness of thinking characteristic of the experts, in fact, is the ability to analyze, evaluate and verify the information?

The illusion of knowledge

In the experiment, which we mentioned above, the problem was that the participants were in fact not experts in any field of knowledge. They just allow yourself to feel so, creating the illusion of professionalism. However, it was enough for them to change habitual patterns of behavior and thinking.

Therefore, it is possible that many of us suffer from a similar illusion in everyday life. This is very dangerous, because creates a sense of omniscience and false confidence. Beginner, having little idea about a particular subject, may not understand how much information he has to learn. Even though it is not ready to call himself an expert in any subject, but is willing to say - to this level there are not so many. In fact, he has no idea how much more he had to learn the new.

Laymen often suffer from feelings of unjustified superiority, which is called the effect Dunning - Kruger.

Such a person is not able to realize the mistakes made by them, as well as to recognize the low level of their qualifications. In support of this assertion evidenced by the outcome of an experiment conducted by Yale University. According to him, people tend to confuse the knowledge acquired from the Internet after a brief search at Google, with really a learned and internalized information. Unfortunately, finding an answer on the web - not the same thing as to increase their own knowledge.

If you do not know the answer to the question, you know, that do not have the right information. Accordingly, to solve the problem, you will make an effort and wasting their time. When there is access to the Internet, a clear line between what you do know and what you think you know, it is erased.

Matthew Fisher (Matthew Fisher), the Department of Yale University employee.

Woe from Wit

Of course, in effect Dunning - Kruger there is another vector of influence, even more destructive. And it concerns not beginners.

The trouble is that experts from any field may feel insecure, thinking that their knowledge is not exclusive and well known.

The result of this behavior - what we call the "grief of mind." Experts have difficulty accepting the point of view of a beginner, no longer see certain aspects of the problem or the information that appears obvious to people without specific knowledge. Most likely, this will lead to additional complications: the experts would be hard to have a conversation with the newcomer, to find common simple and interesting topics of conversation.

In general, it is summed up in the concept of "expert syndrome":

1. You become an expert in a particular field of study, subject, skill, and then lose the ability to discuss the subject with someone who is not so qualified. In addition, even if the conversation starts, you lose sight of a huge reservoir of information, considering it unnecessary, a well-known, uninteresting.
2. When a certain part of knowledge goes into the category of "default aware" novice becomes more difficult to engage in a common discourse, and thus, they can not acquire even basic information.
3. Because of this, those new professionals who try to engage in dialogue and cooperate with experts with impressive spaces in the experiment. They may not know the basic concepts and terms have difficulty understanding basic ideas.

It would seem, what business experts to beginners. But in fact, this problem is very complex and affects everyone.

A study conducted by Cornell University found that people who are skilled in a particular field, will argue that even know about what actually did not hear. Moreover, they can tell you a lot about the concept that you just came up with.

So as we all know a little about psychology, you also probably heard these terms: metatoksin, bioseksualny, retropleks. You remember? Can some explain even to myself what do these words mean?

Fine! Neither of these terms is not present. They made it up, and do not mean anything at all.

What to do?

Whoever you are - beginner or expert - remember that tend to underestimate their own knowledge or overestimate them. The safest - is to keep in mind the thesis of "know - good" and not do from the information foundation for self-esteem, behaviors, or ways of thinking.