Self as an Epistemic Authority: Effects on Experiential and Instructional Learning

This research defines self-ascribed epistemic authority as an individual's perception of his or her own expertise and knowledgeability in a domain. It was predicted that: (1) individuals with high self-ascribed epistemic authority would benefit more from experientially-based information than individuals with low self-ascribed epistemic authority, and (2) individuals with high perceived “authority-gap” between themselves and an external communicator would benefit more from information that communicator provides than ones with low perceived “authority-gap.” Both predictions were supported in an experiment comparing the learning of mathematical principles through experience and through instruction. These findings were discussed in reference to the relation between learning and persuasion, the role of self as an informational source, and the function of experience as a mediator of cognitive change.