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The Nomological Net of Knowledge, Self-Reported Knowledge, and Overclaiming in Children
Benjamin Goecke1, Ulrich Schroeders2, Ingo Zettler3
1Ulm University, Germany.
Journal of Personality Assessment
|November 28, 2022
Summary
This study developed a new questionnaire to measure children's self-reported knowledge and overclaiming. Findings indicate overclaiming inflates self-reported knowledge in children, similar to adults.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Cognitive Development
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Research on children's self-reported knowledge and overclaiming is limited.
- Existing overclaiming questionnaires are not tailored for child populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a child-tailored overclaiming questionnaire.
- To investigate the nomological network of self-reported knowledge and overclaiming in children.
- To examine overclaiming from perspectives of self-enhancement, declarative knowledge proxy, and creative engagement.
Main Methods:
- Developed and validated an overclaiming questionnaire for children.
- Administered the questionnaire to 897 third-grade children.
- Assessed fluid and crystallized intelligence, creativity, and personality traits.
- Utilized latent variable analyses to examine relationships.
Main Results:
- No strong evidence supported competing perspectives on overclaiming in children.
- Overclaiming significantly inflated self-reported knowledge, similar to adult findings.
- Self-reported knowledge showed only a weak relationship with actual declarative knowledge.
Conclusions:
- The developed questionnaire provides a tool for assessing overclaiming in children.
- Overclaiming is a significant factor influencing self-perceptions of knowledge in childhood.
- Further research is needed to fully understand the nuances of overclaiming in child development.
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