We often believe we know more than we actually do, relying heavily on others’ knowledge. The knowledge illusion refers to our tendency to overestimate how much we truly understand. In reality, we depend a lot on shared knowledge from our environment without possessing it ourselves. This is also known as the “illusion of explanatory depth”: you think you understand something — until you have to explain it. In education, students may believe they understand a concept, when in fact they’re relying on shallow cues or external information. Example: A student claims to know how a bicycle works, but when asked to explain it, says: “You pedal and it moves.” They can’t explain the chain, gears, or balance mechanisms.
Rozenblit, L., & Keil, F. C. (2002). The misunderstanding of misunderstanding: Social and cognitive factors in the illusion of explanatory depth. Cognitive Science, 26(5), 521–562.
Sloman, S. A., & Fernbach, P. (2017). The knowledge illusion: Why we never think alone. Riverhead Books.
Keil, F. C. (2006). Explanation and understanding. Annual Review of Psychology, 57, 227–254.