[dahart]

Dunning Kruger is only valid for simple tasks. The study tested, for example, whether participants get a joke. The participants, btw, were all Cornell undergrads, NOT the general population.

The "Dunning Kruger effect" actually reverses and there's a negative correlation for highly skilled and highly knowledge-based tasks like "engineering".

http://www.talyarkoni.org/blog/2010/07/07/what-the-dunning-k....

"...some studies have shown that the asymmetry reported by Kruger and Dunning (i.e., the smaller discrepancy for high performers than for low performers) actually goes away, and even reverses, when the ability tests given to participants are very difficult."

So please don't treat Dunning Kruger as a way to claim anyone who's wrong or you disagree with is suffering from inflated confidence and lack of skill. Do note the potential for confirmation bias as well as inflated confidence in the very claim that others might be prone.