Accuracy and error in self judgments, perceptions of bias in the self and others, the influence of self-perceptions on choice, motivated cognition and motivated allocation of attention, predictions of future consequences, social cognition, judgment and decision making.
My research explores the processes that underlie judgments about the self and one's environment. I am particularly fascinated by self-perception and, as such, most of my work is aimed at understanding the sources of accuracy and error in self-judgments. Through my primary line of research, I have systematically explored why individuals often have little insight into how well they have performed on tasks. My interest in self-insight extends to understanding how individuals come to believe that their own judgments are objective but the judgments of others are clouded by their goals and motives.
Beyond self-judgments, I am also fascinated by judgments of one's environment and, in particular, predictions about future consequences. Thus, my secondary line of research explores how a single-minded focus on the consequences one intends can blind individuals to alternative consequences. Many well-meaning acts have backfired, sparking strings of unintended and unwanted consequences. My work reveals a psychological contributor to the failure to foresee unintended consequences and identifies means of guarding against this single-minded focus to bring about better judgment.
Ehrlinger, J. (2008) Skill level, Self-views and self-theories as sources of error in self-assessment. Compass: Social and Personality Psychology, 2, 382-298.
Ehrlinger, J., Johnson, K., Banner, M., Dunning, D., & Kruger, J. (2008). Why the unskilled are unaware: Further explorations of (absent) self-insight among the incompetent. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 105, 98-121.
Dweck, C.S. & Ehrlinger, J. (2006). Implicit theories and conflict resolution . In The Handbook of Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice. M. Deutsch & P.T. Coleman (Eds.), San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Eibach, R. P. & Ehrlinger, J. (2006). "Keep your eyes on the prize": Reference
points and group differences in assessing progress towards equality.
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 66-77.
Ehrlinger J., Gilovich, T., & Ross, L. (2005). Peering into the bias blind
spot: People's assessments of bias in themselves and others. Personality
and Social Psychology Bulletin.
Ehrlinger J. & Dunning, D. (2003). How chronic self-views influence (and mislead)
estimates of performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,
84, 5-17.
Dunning, D., Johnson, K. L., Ehrlinger, J., & Kruger, J. (2003) Why people
fail to recognize their own incompetence. Current Directions in
Psychological Science, 12, 83-87.
