Doctors' estimates of the percentage of patients whose problems do not require medical attention

A total of 248 doctors replied to the question 'About what per cent of your patients present problems that do not really require medical attention (problems that would take care of themselves)?' The answers given ranged from 0 to 90%, with a mean of 20.61 and standard deviation of 23.81 The estimates given by the doctors were related to their own performance as pre-medical and medical students, and to personal qualities and dispositions as indicated by psychological assessment. Doctors whose estimates were higher than the average for the group tended to have better pre-medical scholastic records than their peers, to attain superior scores on the Science subtest of the Medical College Admission Test, and to prefer rational to intuitive methods of problem-solving.