Is intellectual humility related to more accuracy and less overconfidence?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Is intellectual humility (IH) related to more accuracy and less overconfidence in decision-making contexts? Here we sought to answer this question and clarify ambiguities in the literature by examining the relations among IH, critical thinking, and overconfidence measures. We assessed these relations in both online community and college participants. Overall, IH tended to be related to more accuracy on a range of critical thinking measures and to less overestimation and overclaiming. We also found some evidence for a Dunning-Kruger effect (i.e. those scoring the lowest on IH significantly overestimated their performance). Results tended to be significantly stronger in the online community participants than in the college participants, and the Dunning-Kruger effect was not present in the college sample. Overall, the current findings invite questions about how IH contributes to more accuracy and less overconfidence and whether IH can be leveraged to bolster critical thinking.