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Metaknowledge
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Metaknowledge

George Musser
Aeon, 2016
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Is it possible to improve the accuracy of collective knowledge? In this article, science journalist George Musser explains how assessing “metaknowledge” can help determine the accuracy of an individual’s knowledge, and thus, his or her value within the “hive mind.” Through practical examples and study results, Musser persuasively outlines why metaknowledge matters and explores how researchers can use metaknowledge to improve the value of survey data. getAbstract recommends this article to social scientists and anyone interested in the “wisdom of crowds.”

Take-Aways

  • High levels of “metaknowledge” – knowing how many people know what you know – tend to correlate with high levels of knowledge: The more you know about a subject, the more likely you are to predict the knowledge level of others accurately.
  • Assessing metaknowledge can help researchers spot falsehoods in survey data: Respondents with little metaknowledge on a given topic are more likely to base their assessment of others on their own beliefs, even if they don’t publicly state them.
  • Presented with an incentive for truth-telling, respondents to a survey answered questions more honestly when they were aware that survey answers would be measured against metaknowledge.

About the Author

George Musser is a contributing editor for Scientific American, where he focuses on fundamental physics and space science. He is author of the book Spooky Action at a Distance.

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