Selfestimates

Self-estimates are subjective judgments individuals make about themselves, including estimates of their abilities, knowledge, performance, or the likelihood of future outcomes. They constitute a form of self-assessment that can influence motivation, goal setting, and subsequent behavior.

In educational, occupational, and everyday contexts, self-estimates are used to gauge progress, plan efforts, and regulate learning or work strategies. Researchers study self-estimates to examine calibration, the agreement between estimated and actual performance, and to understand how biases affect self-perception. Distinct from objective measures, self-estimates reflect a person’s perceived competence and confidence at a given moment.

Measurement of self-estimates often relies on self-report scales, likelihood judgments, or confidence ratings. Accuracy is evaluated by comparing estimates with objective outcomes. Calibration analyses plot estimated versus actual performance to reveal overestimation or underestimation across tasks. Common quantitative metrics include mean absolute error and systematic bias, while reliability concerns center on consistency across tasks and occasions.

Various factors influence self-estimates, including cognitive biases such as overconfidence or underconfidence, the Dunning-Kruger effect, mood, task familiarity, and social desirability. Feedback, feedback timing, practice, and structured reflection can help improve calibration and the reliability of self-estimates. Self-estimates are related to other constructs such as self-efficacy and self-esteem but address different aspects of the self, namely perceived ability and confidence in performance, rather than global self-worth.