Error of Self-estimates Compared with Error of Judgments of 24 Associates
| A. D. of Assoc. | A. E. of Self-Est. | |
| Neatness | 4.5 | 5.8 |
| Intelligence | 3.7 | 6.0 |
| Humor | 4.5 | 7.3 |
| Conceit | 4.1 | 5.7 |
| Beauty | 3.8 | 6.0 |
| Vulgarity | 3.5 | 6.1 |
| Snobbishness | 4.8 | 5.1 |
| Refinement | 5.9 | 7.2 |
| Sociability | 4.7 | 5.4 |
In all cases the individual places herself farther from her true position than do her friends on the average. The average of all the deviations of associates is 4.4 places; that of all the individual self-estimates is 6.1 places. That is to say, in general the error of self-estimation tends to be half again as great as the average error of the judgments of associates. In other words, these students do not judge themselves as accurately as their friends judge them, if the average position assigned the individual by the group of twenty-four associates may be taken as a fair measure of the individual's true status in the group.
II. Is there any constant tendency toward overestimation or underestimation, in the case of the individual's self-estimates, and if so, how does this tendency vary with the trait in question? It may be said in answer to this question, first, that in the case of none of the traits do all the individuals consistently either overrate or underrate themselves. But if the self-displacements be averaged algebraically, certain very definite tendencies toward constant errors are revealed. The following table shows the constant error in the case of each trait. In the case of "undesirable" traits (conceit, vulgarity and snobbishness) this constant error is toward underestimation. On the average, these individuals rank themselves as less conceited, less vulgar and less snobbish than they really are, as judged by the combined opinion of their associates. In the case of all the remaining traits (the "desirable" ones) the general tendency is toward overestimation. The amount or degree of this overestimation varies considerably from trait to trait. It is greatest in the cases of refinement and humor, in which traits there are constant errors of +6.3 and +5.2 places. In the cases of neatness, intelligence, and sociability the overestimation is only about half as large as in these two traits, while in the case of beauty there is really no constant error.
TABLE 3
Showing Constant Tendencies Toward Overestimation (+) and Underestimation (-) of Self
| Trait | Constant Error | Number Overestimating Themselves | Number Underestimating Themselves |
| Refinement | +6.3 | 40 | 10 |
| Humor | +5.2 | 39 | 11 |
| Intelligence | +3.0 | 34 | 16 |
| Sociability | +2.2 | 34 | 16 |
| Neatness | +1.8 | 25 | 25 |
| Beauty | +0.2 | 25 | 25 |
| Conceit | -1.7 | 24 | 26 |
| Snobbishness | -2.0 | 18 | 32 |
| Vulgarity | -4.2 | 17 | 33 |
Another way of expressing these constant tendencies is to give in each case the number of people in the group of fifty observers who tend in each direction. These figures are given in the last two columns of the above table. It is clear at once that in the case of the first four traits the tendency is predominantly in the direction of overestimation; in the next three traits the two tendencies are evenly balanced, while in the last two the general tendency is strongly toward underestimation.