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The Better-Than-Average Effect Is Observed Because "Average" Is Often Construed as Below-Median Ability
Young-Hoon Kim1, Heewon Kwon1, Chi-Yue Chiu2
1Department of Psychology, Yonsei UniversitySeoul, South Korea.
Frontiers in Psychology
|July 11, 2017
Summary
Most people overestimate their abilities, often interpreting "average" as below median. This cognitive bias, rather than self-enhancement, explains the common better-than-average effect for easy skills.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Most individuals perceive their abilities as above average, a statistically improbable outcome.
- Previous explanations focused on self-enhancement bias.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate a cognitive explanation for the better-than-average effect.
- To explore how the interpretation of "average ability" varies based on perceived task difficulty.
Main Methods:
- Participants compared their abilities to various benchmarks, including "average," "typical," and specific percentile ranks (40th, 50th, 60th).
- The study manipulated the perceived difficulty of the abilities being assessed.
Main Results:
- For easy abilities, participants interpreted "average" as below the median (40th percentile), leading to a strong better-than-average effect.
- For difficult abilities, participants' interpretation of "average" shifted to the median (50th percentile) or higher.
Conclusions:
- The interpretation of "average ability" is context-dependent, influenced by perceived task difficulty.
- A cognitive interpretation of "average" as a below-median benchmark for easy tasks explains the prevalent better-than-average effect.
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