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Admitting that you don't know something is such an important skill, because it enables one to learn and discuss unfamiliar topics. I've met a lot of people, inc

Admitting that you don't know something is such an important skill, because it enables one to learn and discuss unfamiliar topics. I've met a lot of people, including professional programmers, who can't admit when they don't know something. I've even noticed it affect my own engineering capabilities. There have been a number of times that, when presented with a new idea (TDD, functional programming, dependency injection, etc) I initially convinced myself that it's not that important. I've further noticed that this usually happens when I'm struggling to understand how to apply it in practice. I've also witnessed this thought process in other engineers. All this has led me to thinking about a theory lately. I think that there's a cognitive bias at play when people are presented with something that's unfamiliar to them [1]. I haven't validated this idea yet, so if anyone has any pointers to some research on this topic, I'd love to know about it. I've witnessed these thought processes impede discussion and prevent improvement within engineering teams, which is why I push people during an interview to see of they'll say, "I don't know." [1] Off topic, but I think this proposed cognitive bias enables the existence of most religions, because religion soothes people's uncertainty about metaphysics.

Futurebot 14y ago
The human tendency to attempt to avoid looking weak in just about any situation, coupled with a fear of certain cultural/personality types (the types that cause people to spend their time trying to sniff out weakness to use as leverage and fodder for humiliation and/or believe that human beings should be regarded as fungible little cogs who should be replaced if they aren't flawless) seem to be the biggest feeders of this tendency. Insofar as it serves as a defense mechanism, it seems perfectly rational (while also seeming sad that it's necessary) in many cases to not admit, especially when one believes that their livelihood may be on the line (whether immediately or somewhere down the line.)
- hammock 14y ago
  I don't think the tendency is innately human; it's socialized. Growing up, it took me a while to figure out that saying something besides "I don't know" to a question you don't have the answer for, was even an option worth considering. Was never a problem for me (for better or for worse) It's usually obvious when someone gives an answer out of their ass. Alternatively, some people will stay silent, as if they didn't hear the question. Rare to find someone who will say "I don't know" and explore the topic with you.
  - afterburner 14y ago
    It's not obvious to everyone that other people are talking out of their ass. In particular, those who grow up around people who are always bullshitting, and do plenty of the bullshitting themselves, may end up not really knowing the difference.
  - bstpierre 14y ago
    I agree -- it's definitely not innate. My kids -- and in my somewhat limited experience, other young children -- will ask "what's that?" when you start talking about something that they don't know. It takes a few years of school to dull the natural curiosity.
- 3minus1 14y ago
  I may be off base, but I see it as a sign of weakness when someone lies about something they don't know. Like, that person probably either has an inferiority complex or is a little too prideful. If you're smart and you know you're smart then you don't have to prove it, and you don't feel the need to bullshit about topics you don't know.
- re_todd 14y ago
  I tend to say "I don't know" around these malevolent personality types more often. If people are looking for ammunition to use against you, the less words you use the better. These types of people will find plenty of things to mock you and challenge you in a long truthful explanation if they really want to. When around these people, I keep my responses to a minimum, and try to turn their questions back on them and keep them talking instead of me.

Futurebot 14y ago

The human tendency to attempt to avoid looking weak in just about any situation, coupled with a fear of certain cultural/personality types (the types that cause people to spend their time trying to sniff out weakness to use as leverage and fodder for humiliation and/or believe that human beings should be regarded as fungible little cogs who should be replaced if they aren't flawless) seem to be the biggest feeders of this tendency. Insofar as it serves as a defense mechanism, it seems perfectly rational (while also seeming sad that it's necessary) in many cases to not admit, especially when one believes that their livelihood may be on the line (whether immediately or somewhere down the line.)

hammock 14y ago
I don't think the tendency is innately human; it's socialized. Growing up, it took me a while to figure out that saying something besides "I don't know" to a question you don't have the answer for, was even an option worth considering. Was never a problem for me (for better or for worse) It's usually obvious when someone gives an answer out of their ass. Alternatively, some people will stay silent, as if they didn't hear the question. Rare to find someone who will say "I don't know" and explore the topic with you.
- afterburner 14y ago
  It's not obvious to everyone that other people are talking out of their ass. In particular, those who grow up around people who are always bullshitting, and do plenty of the bullshitting themselves, may end up not really knowing the difference.
- bstpierre 14y ago
  I agree -- it's definitely not innate. My kids -- and in my somewhat limited experience, other young children -- will ask "what's that?" when you start talking about something that they don't know. It takes a few years of school to dull the natural curiosity.
3minus1 14y ago
I may be off base, but I see it as a sign of weakness when someone lies about something they don't know. Like, that person probably either has an inferiority complex or is a little too prideful. If you're smart and you know you're smart then you don't have to prove it, and you don't feel the need to bullshit about topics you don't know.
re_todd 14y ago
I tend to say "I don't know" around these malevolent personality types more often. If people are looking for ammunition to use against you, the less words you use the better. These types of people will find plenty of things to mock you and challenge you in a long truthful explanation if they really want to. When around these people, I keep my responses to a minimum, and try to turn their questions back on them and keep them talking instead of me.