What Do You Know? Not As Much As You Think

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Summary/Excerpt

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081014111355.htm

 

 

What Do You Know? Not As Much As You Think

 

 

ScienceDaily (Oct. 15, 2008) — We've all met know-it-alls—people who

think they know more than they actually do. If they're talking about

products, like wine or motorcycles, they might actually know as much as

they think. But when it comes to health plans, social policy, or

nutrition, they might not, according to a new study in the Journal of

Consumer Research.

 

Authors Jay P. Carlson (Union Graduate College of Union University),

Leslie H. Vincent, David M. Hardesty (both University of Kentucky), and

William O. Bearden (University of South Carolina) conducted a meta-

analysis of 103 consumer knowledge research studies that took place

between 1980 and 2007. " Overall, our results suggest that people are

not overly knowledgeable regarding how knowledgeable they are. They can

deceive themselves into believing they are more knowledgeable than they

are, " they explain.