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Reduced Susceptibility to the Dunning–Kruger Effect in Autistic Employees

Lorne M. Hartman,Harley Glassman,Braxton L Hartman

Published 2025 in Autism Research

ABSTRACT

Evidence indicates that autistic individuals are less susceptible to social influence and cognitive biases than non‐autistic individuals. However, no studies have been conducted on the Dunning–Kruger effect (DKE) in autism. The DKE is a cognitive bias in which people with limited expertise in a specific domain overestimate their abilities. The purpose of this study is to compare autistic and non‐autistic employees' self‐assessments of their performance with their objective performance on a popular performance‐based measure of analytic thinking disposition, the CRT (cognitive reflection test). After completing the task, no feedback or clues were provided regarding how well they performed. Participants were then asked to estimate how many questions they answered correctly and compare their performance to other participants by estimating the percentage of peers they outperformed. Results indicated asymmetric calibration of actual versus estimated CRT performance in autistic employees: In the low‐performance group, autistic participants overestimated their abilities less than non‐autistic participants. However, in the high‐performance group, autistic participants underestimated their abilities more than non‐autistic participants. Reduced susceptibility to the DKE highlights potential benefits of autistic employees in the workplace. Theoretical and practical implications consider the intersection of metacognitive awareness, autism, and the DKE in an organizational context.

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