Self-Estimates of Abilities

There are many classical intelligence tests that provide reliable and valid means to objectively determine an individual’s general intelligence, for example. Given the fact that individuals receive direct or indirect feedback on their cognitive abilities both in absolute terms as well as relative to others repeatedly in life (in school, on the job, etc.), it may seem plausible that self-estimates are almost as valid as such objective tests. Alas, this is not the case. In fact, the correlation between self-estimates of intelligence and test results has been reported since the 1980s as roughly around r = .30, with considerable heterogeneity between studies, though. The self-assessment of one’s own capabilities is obviously not a trivial task and subject to a number of biases. This is an unfortunate state of affairs because self-estimates of abilities, as an important part of one’s (academic) self-concept, co-determine successful job selection and satisfaction, among other decisions in everyday life.

In our research in this field, we investigate the importance of potential determinants for the accuracy of self-estimates. In addition to assessing explanatory variables of the accuracy, the structure of self-estimates, interventions to enhance their accuracy, and their generalizability across ability domains are also under investigation.

Interested in collaborating with us? Considering a Bachelor or Master Thesis in Psychology or an internship in this area? Great! Please contact us -> Prof. Dr. Ralf Schulze & Marie Brenke