31. Morey defines a nerd as someone who "knows his own mind well enough to distrust it."
Compare this observation with the Dunning-Kruger effect, illustrated in the diagram above.
Have you ever had an experience in which your knowledge in a field correlated with the degrees of confidence represented on the diagram?
Understanding and learning a musical piece can be very much like this diagram. After analyzing a piece of music you could have your own interpretation of the piece and think that it's full-proof. But then after listening to other people's interpretation of the piece it can confuse and make you lose your focus on it. After a while and hearing explanations of why other people view the piece that way you start to piece together a more accurate interpretation of the piece.
ReplyDelete-Glennon Selke
The first thing that came to mind when I saw the Dunning-Kruger effect was trying to hit a baseball. When you finish coach pitch you think you could hit off of anybody then you start kid pitch and the pitcher stops trying to throw the ball right down the middle. Just as you get your confidence to an all-time high you figure out just how little you actually know about hitting. The same thing goes for when you start playing high school baseball, just as you think you have it down the game throws a curve ball at you literally.
ReplyDelete-Riley Knickmeyer
One example I can think of to demonstrate the Dunning-Kruger effect would be playing golf. It seems like such a simple sport to play when starting off and you think about how good you are. But as you play, you begin to realize just how many different gears are turning in every swing you have. You start questioning everything about your swing and even overthink it to the point of absurdity. It can take years to perfect your swing even for only a single club, and even longer to master the game.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the Dunning-Kruger effect, the first thing that came to my mind was learning new skills as a competitive gymnast. When you first learn the skill, you're on a confidence high. You have the mindset that you've mastered this skill, and you can do anything. But as you continue you have to learn how to put the skill in a routine, or even connect it to other skills. There is a learning curve even after you got the skill. Eventually, after tons of practice, you will actually master what you've learned.
ReplyDelete-Reia Storch
I'm sure this is meant to be more of a straight forward answer, but the Dunning-Kruger effect is something that has fascinated me for a long time, and I can't help but think about it more abstractly. As someone who grew up being told they were gifted and received praise consistently for being the "smart sibling", I was an overly confident and quite frankly "full of myself" child, to the point that I was nearly incapable of accepting being wrong. I am not afraid to admit that I have gone through phases as a person, and that includes my understanding of myself. As I grew older I became less confident, more curious and more cognizant of the fact that the world is much bigger and far fuller of the unknown than I was previously willing to admit. That was definitely my fall from "I know everything". For a while, and even up until I made it into the Honors program at ECU I had convinced myself that I had tricked everyone into thinking I was intelligent and that people only perceived me as intelligent because I knew how to 'appear' intelligent. (Yay impostor syndrome, right?) I felt like my family had over-hyped me and possibly even set me up for failure; But honestly, being able to say I am a first generation college student in honors classes alongside some of the smartest people I have met has me feeling like I'm closer to the "It's starting to make sense" part of life. Although I'm sure by the end of this semester this class will have me feeling like things are far more complicated than I had previously thought.
ReplyDelete-Trinity Whitehead
I believe Morey’s stating that a nerd is “someone who knows their mind well enough to distrust it” and the Dunning-Kruger effect lineup really well. The stereotypical “nerd” pushes themselves to learn as much as possible about their chosen field of interest. In the visual diagram of the Dunning-Kruger effect, the is represented in the curve after the point of “I know everything.”
ReplyDeleteMy personal experience that correlates greatly with Morey’s statement and the Dunning-Kruger effect would the first time I grilled steak. My “I know everything” point was thinking that all you need to do was throw it over the fire and take it out when its done. I quickly learned that there is much, much more to it than just that step. The cut of meat, how it is prepared before touching the grill, and what is fueling the fire all impact the taste of the steak. I began the curve towards “there’s more to this than I thought” and am now more on the “it’s starting to make sense” point. I may never reach the expert level of “trust me, it’s complicated” but I am continuing to grow my knowledge with each try. -Preston Milliga
In high school I was in AP Calculus and I constantly felt like I did not understand anything. When I saw this diagram, I realized how often my confidence in my knowledge resembles it. Everyone else in the class seemed to understand the material so easily, while I was still lost at the first problem. I felt like I annoyed the teacher and my friends by asking so many questions. Once I finally understood the basics, the problems would become more and more difficult and I was back at the confidence I started with, but slowly building with each problem I solved correctly. Over the year, I understood more and more, and became less scared to ask questions when things did not make sense.
ReplyDeleteI know I probably continue to do this in my everyday life. I do this at work, with art, writing, and other things I am going to continue learning. Reading that people who are seen as geniuses, as those in The Undoing Project are, do this too, it makes me feel more confident in my learning ability. Reading that it’s smart to question your ability is helpful too.
The more I think of this diagram, the more and more I realize it is almost common sense. When we finally understand something new, we feel over-confident, then as we continue with the learning, we realize how many layers there are. Even after such a jump in confidence, it’s nice to know we can easily humble ourselves if we just push and continue on our journey of knowledge.
-Jaden Eddy