I've used this observation when designing surveys. Ask people "How well do you know this code on a scale from 1 to 7?" and people reasonably experienced with the code usually go something like 5 or 6.
If you instead ask "Think back at how much you have learned about this code in the past two years, then try to imagine how much you will learn in the next two years. How well do you know this code today, on a scale from 1 to 7?" and the answer ends up in a much more realistic 2–5 range.
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I've used this observation when designing surveys. Ask people "How well do you know this code on a scale from 1 to 7?" and people reasonably experienced with the code usually go something like 5 or 6.
If you instead ask "Think back at how much you have learned about this code in the past two years, then try to imagine how much you will learn in the next two years. How well do you know this code today, on a scale from 1 to 7?" and the answer ends up in a much more realistic 2–5 range.