Glossary
Worse-Than-Average Effect
What is the worse-than-average effect?
The worse-than-average effect, also called the below-average effect, is a tendency to judge one's ability or performance as worse than a comparison group's, particularly on difficult tasks.
How it works
Kruger's 1999 studies linked the pattern to focusing on one's own difficulty while giving too little weight to peers' difficulty. The same process produced above-average judgments for easier skills. Cognitive load increased the biases in one study.
Example
After struggling with a difficult task, someone may think, “I must have done worse than everyone else.” The missing question is how hard everyone else found it.
Worse-than-average vs. better-than-average effect
The better-than-average effect concerns judging oneself above the comparison group; the worse-than-average effect concerns judging oneself below it. The direction of the comparison differs. Whether either judgment is mistaken still depends on actual performance and the comparison group.
Self-assessment and limits
A below-average judgment can be accurate. The evidence is needed on both sides of the comparison. The effect is not simply low self-esteem.
Why it matters
Confidence alone does not measure ability. Compare relevant information about your performance and the comparison group.
The hard–easy effect concerns how task difficulty relates to confidence calibration.