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The Better-Than-Average Effect Is Observed Because "Average" Is Often Construed as Below-Median Ability.

ABSTRACT: Most people rate their abilities as better than "average" even though it is statistically impossible for most people to have better-than-median abilities. Some investigators explained this phenomenon in terms of a self-enhancement bias. The present study complements this motivational explanation with the parsimonious cognitive explanation that the phrase "average ability" may be interpreted as below-median ability rather than median ability. We believe people tend to construe an "average" target that is based on the most representative exemplar, and this result in different levels of "average" in different domains. Participants compared their abilities to those of an average person, typical person, and a person whose abilities are at the 40th, 50th, or 60th percentile. We found that participants' interpretation of "average" ability depended on the perceived difficulty of the ability. For abilities perceived as easy (e.g., spoken and written expression), participants construed an "average" target at the 40th percentile (i.e., below-median ability) and showed a marked better-than-average effect. On the contrary, for abilities perceived to be difficult, participants construed an "average" target at the median or even above the median.

SUBMITTER: Kim YH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5479883 | biostudies-other | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:BackgroundAltered neuronal excitation-inhibition (E-I) balance is strongly implicated in ASD. However, it is not known whether the direction and degree of changes in the E-I ratio in individuals with ASD correlates with intellectual disability often associated with this developmental disorder. The spectral slope of the aperiodic 1/f activity reflects the E-I balance at the scale of large neuronal populations and may uncover its putative alternations in individuals with ASD with and without intellectual disability.MethodsHerein, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to test whether the 1/f slope would differentiate ASD children with average and below-average (< 85) IQ. MEG was recorded at rest with eyes open/closed in 49 boys with ASD aged 6-15 years with IQ ranging from 54 to 128, and in 49 age-matched typically developing (TD) boys. The cortical source activity was estimated using the beamformer approach and individual brain models. We then extracted the 1/f slope by fitting a linear function to the log-log-scale power spectra in the high-frequency range.ResultsThe global 1/f slope averaged over all cortical sources demonstrated high rank-order stability between the two conditions. Consistent with previous research, it was steeper in the eyes-closed than in the eyes-open condition and flattened with age. Regardless of condition, children with ASD and below-average IQ had flatter slopes than either TD or ASD children with average or above-average IQ. These group differences could not be explained by differences in signal-to-noise ratio or periodic (alpha and beta) activity.LimitationsFurther research is needed to find out whether the observed changes in E-I ratios are characteristic of children with below-average IQ of other diagnostic groups.ConclusionsThe atypically flattened spectral slope of aperiodic activity in children with ASD and below-average IQ suggests a shift of the global E-I balance toward hyper-excitation. The spectral slope can provide an accessible noninvasive biomarker of the E-I ratio for making objective judgments about treatment effectiveness in people with ASD and comorbid intellectual disability.

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The Better-Than-Average Effect Is Observed Because "Average" Is Often Construed as Below-Median Ability.

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