Numerous studies show children tend to overestimate their motor and cognitive skills. Self-enhancement, which involves taking a positive view of oneself, is also exhibited among adults who overestimate their ability and traits (e.g., kindness, selflessness). However, theory suggests it can be beneficial for children, encouraging them to tackle new challenges.
To investigate the extent of children’s self-overconfidence, Xia and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis pooling 43 studies from 1968 to 2021 involving preschool and primary students. Measuring both self-estimated and actual objective performance, the analysis incorporated 246 effect sizes. Ratio of means (RoM) was used to assess effect size which was the ratio of self-estimation to actual performance, with value over 1 indicating overestimation, under 1 signifying underestimation. Results of three-level meta-analysis are shown below.
- Children overestimated their task performance by 35% (ES =+1.35).
- Sample mean age was a significant moderator. Self-overestimation decreased as sample mean age increased from 4.80 to 12.50 years (B=-0.079).
- More recent studies saw slightly higher estimates (B=+0.008), though year of data collection was no longer significant when controlling for mean age of the sample (B=+0.005).
- No significant difference emerged across motor, memory, and other cognitive tasks.
- With eight studies reporting separated effects for boys and/or girls, no gender difference was observed for self-overestimation.
Age remained the sole prominent factor influencing the degree of inflated self-appraisal in this study. The authors propose that children’s self-overestimation declines with age because they develop metacognitive skills, accumulate task performance experience, and engage in evaluation and social comparison in school settings. These may lead to a more realistic assessment of their abilities.
Source (Open Access): Xia, M., Poorthuis, A. M. G., & Thomaes, S. (n.d.). Children’s overestimation of performance across age, task, and historical time: A meta-analysis. Child Development, n/a(n/a). https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.14042