Examining Confidence Accuracy, Observation Skills, and the Dunning Kruger Effect

Using a quantitative approach, this study examines the confidence accuracy relationship of eyewitness memory and observation skills and explores the relationship between self-perception and accuracy (The Dunning Kruger Effect). The present study has three purposes. The first purpose is to highlight the importance of understanding one's limitations and self-assessment abilities to ensure effective training and preparedness for high-stress situations of a police officer. The second purpose is to show that eyewitness memory accounts in consequential settings such as court should not rely on confidence as an indicator of accuracy. The third purpose is to show that eyewitness accounts of police officers are not always more correct than those of civilians. Using Humber College’s Conflict Resolution FAAC Digital Simulator, 18 subjects (17 students and 1 police officer) were assigned to take part in a virtual, pre-recorded simulation experiment. Participants’ confidence in observation skills and their eyewitness memory abilities were assessed. Results found no correlation between confidence and accuracy in eyewitness memory, though it revealed that people can be extremely confident in their wrong answers, demonstrating that confidence is not always a good indicator of accuracy. Despite assumptions that police officers make better eyewitnesses, findings include that there was no significant difference in memory abilities between the police officer and Humber students.