Cross national difference in overconfidence

Abstract

Under board conditions, people are overconfident in the correctness of their answers to general knowledge questions. Previous research has documented reliable cross-national differences in such overconfidence; overconfidence typically has been found be a greater for Asian than for non-Asian subject groups. The present research examined the degree to which earlier conclusions would extend to groups not studied before, Singaporeans and Indians. It also considered cross national differences in another form of over confidence, one entailing people’s comparisons of themselves with their peers on a variety of characteristics (e.g., the quality of their mathematical skills).