Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Gender and Overconfidence

Publication Date

Fall 11-10-2026

College

College of Sciences & Mathematics

Department

Psychological Science, Department of

SURS Faculty Advisor

Adam Smiley

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Abstract

This research study examined the differences in overconfidence between male and females through trivia questions within six different categories: Sports, History, Pop Culture, Television/shows, Science, and Food and Drink. Our study hypothesized that male participants would consistently demonstrate greater overconfidence than female participants across all categories. Our study consisted of a total of 83 individuals who participated, consisting of 28 men and 55 women. Participants were asked to rate their level of confidence about the specific category of interest, then later answered questions across the six categories. This allowed our study to analyze the overestimation of confidence participants had before completing the study. In our study, overconfidence was measured by comparing the predicted number of questions the participants believed they would get correct compared to the actual number they got correct. Our study used a 2x6 mixed design ANOVA to statistically analyze our results. Our results showed there was no statistical significant interpretation between the sex of the participant and the specific trivia category. However, males showed a marginally significant result in overconfidence in sports. In general, there was a trend of men being marginally overconfident compared to women in 4 of the 6 categories.

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS