Emphasis on Brilliance Discourages Intellectual Humility

• In Event: Fostering Intellectual Humility in Adolescence

Abstract

Intellectual humility can facilitate learning (Krumrei-Mancuso et al., 2020), but how learning environments encourage or discourage development of intellectual humility remains an open question. In two studies, we investigated how a perceived emphasis on brilliance shapes adolescents’ expressed intellectual humility - willingness to publicly acknowledge their confusion and mistakes in school. We hypothesized that when students perceived a class subject or university environment to revere raw intellectual talent and inherent ability, they would be less apt to express intellectual humility in that environment.

In Study 1, 69 adolescents in grades 9 through 12 attending a public school on the east coast completed anonymous, computer-based surveys in which they selected one class subject where they were least willing to express intellectual humility and one subject where they were most willing to do so. Students then rated the two class subjects’ emphasis on brilliance (e.g., “Being a top student in [class subject] requires a special aptitude (ability or smartness) that just can’t be taught; 1 = strongly disagree; 7 = strongly agree; Leslie, Cimpian et al., 2015). Students perceived a stronger emphasis on brilliance in subjects where they were least willing to express intellectual humility (M = 2.43, SD = 0.84) compared to those where they were most willing to express intellectual humility (M = 2.16, SD = 0.92). This difference was statistically significant, t(65) = 2.45, p = .017, g = 0.30, 95% CI = [0.05, 0.54].

In Study 2, 353 undergraduates attending a public university on the west coast completed an experiment online. Adapting a procedure from Bian et al., 2018, students read information representing a university’s recruitment materials. Half of the participants were randomly assigned to the brilliance condition that emphasized the university’s desire to admit students with “high IQ”, and “whose intellectual abilities stand out from their peers”. The other half were assigned to the control condition that emphasized a desire to admit students with “a broad range of skills”, and “who are willing and able to meet the high standards we set for ourselves”. Students then indicated how much they would be willing to express intellectual humility in classes at that university. As predicted, students were less willing to express intellectual humility at the university that emphasized brilliance (M = 3.07, SD = 1.39) compared to the one that did not (M = 3.86, SD = 1.27), B = -0.44, 95% CI [-0.64, -0.23], p < .001.

This research contributes to our understanding of the link between learning environments and adolescents’ likelihood of confessing ignorance, confusion, and mistakes. To the extent that a school or subject emphasizes brilliance, adolescents will be more reluctant to openly express intellectual humility in that context to the detriment of learning and discovery.

Authors

• Tenelle Porter, Ball State University
  Presenting Author

• Andrei Cimpian
  Non-Presenting Author