Meta-perceptual Inaccuracy
The systematic error in estimating how much contempt others feel, often underestimating hostility in polarized groups due to a lack of interest in their activities.
Meta-perceptual inaccuracy is the systematic error in estimating others' emotional states, particularly contempt, leading to significant underestimation of hostility in group settings. It arises from a lack of interest in others' activities and a feeling of contempt that varies in intensity, serving as a predictable bias in affective polarization research.
What this means in real life
A driver convinced they have excellent night vision and can safely drive at high speed in darkness, despite objective evidence (near-misses, poor test results) showing their low-light perception is actually impaired.
What it isn’t
Not simply being wrong about what you perceive—that's ordinary perceptual error. This term specifically means being wrong about *how accurate your perception is*, a second-order mistake about your own sensory reliability.
Commonly misused online
Often conflated with 'lack of self-awareness' or general poor judgment. Online, it's sometimes used loosely to mean 'not knowing what you're talking about' rather than the specific failure to gauge one's own perceptual accuracy.