Journal of Experimental Psychology: General
Searching for explanations: How the Internet inflates estimates of internal knowledge
Key Takeaway
Across nine experiments, online search increased participants estimates of their own explanatory knowledge, including on unrelated topics. The studies identify confusion between access to external information and internally held knowledge.
AI-generated HIE assessmentStudy Design
multi experiment study
title and abstract
What the Study Found
Across nine experiments, people who searched online for explanations subsequently rated their own explanatory knowledge more highly, including on unrelated topics. The authors argue that access to external information can be confused with knowledge held internally. The studies identify a metacognitive calibration risk, but they measure short-term self-assessment rather than durable learning or real-world decision quality.
Original paper recordEvidence Strength
Evidence strengths
- Nine experiments
- Tests multiple alternative explanations
Limitations
- Short-term self-report outcomes
- Does not measure durable learning
What This Does Not Prove
This record does not establish effects beyond the population, tasks, duration, and methods described by the paper. It should not be read as a universal causal claim.
HIE Interpretation
Direct evidence that online search can distort metacognitive estimates of internal knowledge.
AI-generated HIE assessment · AI assessment confidence 91Related Topics
- Cognitive Science
- Learning
- Self
Connected Claims
- Supports
Online search can inflate perceived internal understanding by blurring the boundary between accessible external information and knowledge held in memory.
Across nine experiments, searching online increased estimates of personal explanatory knowledge, including for unrelated topics.
- Scientific evidence strength
- 90
- AI relationship confidence
- 91
- Source / review level
- Abstract reviewed
- Human review
- No human review
- Provenance
- codex-research-curation · initial-curation-v1
Original Source
DOI 10.1037/xge0000070 ↗