curse of knowledge effect in psychology

 

The curse of knowledge effect is a cognitive bias that occurs when a person who is knowledgeable about a particular topic or subject finds it difficult to imagine or understand the perspective of someone who has less knowledge or expertise on that topic. This effect can lead to communication problems, as the knowledgeable person may assume that the less knowledgeable person understands certain terms, concepts, or jargon, leading to misunderstandings and frustration. The curse of knowlege effect is also called the curse of expertise effect.

This phenomenon was first described by Camerer, Loewenstein, and Weber (1989) in a study where participants were asked to tap out a familiar song and then guess what song they were tapping. Participants who were familiar with the song often overestimated the ease with which others could guess the tune.

There have been several criticisms of the curse of knowledge effect. One criticism is that the effect may not always occur, as individuals may be able to adjust their communication based on the level of knowledge of their audience (Birch and Bloom, 2007). Another criticism is that the effect may not be limited to just knowledge, but could also be influenced by factors such as personality traits or cultural background (Galinsky et al., 2008).

In conclusion, the curse of knowledge effect is a cognitive bias that can interfere with effective communication when someone with expertise in a topic overestimates the level of knowledge of their audience. Effective speakers know their audience.

Quotes

In economic analyses of asymmetric information, better-informed agents are assumed capable of reproducing the judgments of less informed agents. We discuss a systematic violation of this assumption that we call the "curse of knowledge." Better-informed agents are unable to ignore private information even when it is in their interest to do so; more information is not always better. Camerer et al. (1989; p. 1232)

Here we show that if sensitive-enough measures are used, adults show deficits in a false-belief task similar to one used with young children. In particular, we show a curse-of-knowledge bias in false-belief reasoning. That is, adults' own knowledge of an event's outcome can compromise their ability to reason about another person's beliefs about that event. Birch & Bloom (2007, abstract)

 

References

Camerer, C. F., Loewenstein, G., & Weber, M. (1989). The curse of knowledge in economic settings: An experimental analysis. Journal of Political Economy, 97(5), 1232-1254.

Birch, S. A., & Bloom, P. (2007). The curse of knowledge in reasoning about false beliefs. Psychological Science, 18(5), 382-386.

Galinsky, A. D., Maddux, W. W., Gilin, D., & White, J. B. (2008). Why it pays to get inside the head of your opponent: The differential effects of perspective taking and empathy in negotiations. Psychological Science, 19(4), 378-384.

 

Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

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