Metacognitive Monitoring Research Articles

Metacognitive monitoring of the perceptual resolution across and around the visual field

Metacognitive monitoring of the perceptual resolution across and around the visual field

Supplemental Material for Automated Feedback and Creativity: On the Role of Metacognitive Monitoring in Divergent Thinking

Supplemental Material for Automated Feedback and Creativity: On the Role of Metacognitive Monitoring in Divergent Thinking

Automated feedback and creativity: On the role of metacognitive monitoring in divergent thinking.

Automated feedback and creativity: On the role of metacognitive monitoring in divergent thinking.

Metacognitive monitoring in schizotypy: Systematic literature review and new empirical data

Background and objectivesDeficits in metacognition, the ability to monitor one's own mental states, are key elements of the functional pathology of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Little is known, however, about the integrity of metacognitive processes in subclinical schizotypy. The purpose of the present investigation was two-fold: First, we conducted a preregistered, systematic literature review to synthesize previous research efforts on the role of metacognition in schizotypy. Second, we investigated the relationship between self-reported dimensions of schizotypy and psychometric as well as behavioral measures of metacognition in a preregistered online study. MethodsA large sample (N = 330) completed a questionnaire battery and an episodic memory experiment; task-based metacognition was tapped via trial-by-trial confidence ratings. ResultsIn keeping with findings from our literature review, higher schizotypy was associated with diminished introspective insight and an overly self-referential and maladaptive metacognitive style in metacognition questionnaires. Importantly, low task-based metacognitive efficiency was predictive of high levels of cognitive disorganization, whereas task-related overconfidence (i.e., increased metacognitive bias) was linked with positive schizotypy. LimitationsDue to the comparatively small number of k = 20 studies meeting our inclusion criteria, the systematic literature review provides only preliminary indications for potential conclusions. Furthermore, control over potential disturbing influences in the experimental study was limited due to its online format. ConclusionsOverall, we provide evidence for specific metacognitive deficits in schizotypy and discuss a potential continuity of preserved and impaired aspects of metacognitive monitoring along the psychosis continuum.

Metacognitive Cues, Working Memory, and Math Anxiety: The Regulated Attention in Mathematical Problem Solving (RAMPS) Framework.

Mathematical problem solving is a process involving metacognitive (e.g., judging progress), cognitive (e.g., working memory), and affective (e.g., math anxiety) factors. Recent research encourages researchers who study math cognition to consider the role that the interaction between metacognition and math anxiety plays in mathematical problem solving. Problem solvers can make many metacognitive judgments during a math problem, ranging from global judgments such as, "Do I care to solve this problem?" to minor cue-based judgments such as, "Is my current strategy successful in making progress toward the correct solution?" Metacognitive monitoring can hinder accurate mathematical problem solving when the monitoring is task-irrelevant; however, task-relevant metacognitive experiences can lead to helpful control decisions in mathematical problem solving such as checking work, considering plausibility of an answer, and considering alternate strategies. Worry and negative thoughts (i.e., math anxiety) can both interfere with the accuracy of metacognitive experiences as cues in mathematical problem solving and lead to avoidance of metacognitive control decisions that could otherwise improve performance. The current paper briefly reviews and incorporates prior literature with current qualitative reports (n = 673) to establish a novel framework of regulated attention in mathematical problem solving (RAMPS).

How can we measure metacognition in creative problem-solving? Standardization of the MCPS scale

Creative problem-solving is associated with the resolution of ill-defined tasks where the goals, procedure, and evaluation criteria are not predetermined. Successful problem solvers have to set their own unique goals, develop appropriate strategies, plan individual steps, generate various possible solutions, monitor and regulate the problem-solving process, and evaluate the outcome for novelty and usefulness. The present study aims to standardize the Metacognition in Creative Problem-Solving (MCPS) scale, which captures metacognitive skills (planning, monitoring, regulation, and evaluation) in creative problem-solving. The 11-item instrument was adapted from the widely recognized Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). The representative sample of 350 university students was employed in the exploratory phase, and 110 working professionals were employed in the confirmatory phase. Both the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the item response theory (IRT) examination yielded an excellent reliability of the MCPS scale (ω = .91, and marginal reliability = .92). Moreover, the MCPS scale was correlated with creative performance (r = .26) and absolute accuracy of on-task metacognitive monitoring (r = -.19). The relationship between the MCPS scale and creative performance was stable, even after the controlling for the original MSLQ, suggesting that the MCPS scale is both a reliable and valid instrument that measures metacognition in creative problem-solving in both educational and professional environments.

Let Learners Monitor the Learning Content and Their Learning Behavior! A Meta-analysis on the Effectiveness of Tools to Foster Monitoring

Self-monitoring is an integral part of self-regulated learning. Tools that foster learners’ monitoring, such as learning journals, portfolios, or rubrics, are supposed to promote self-regulation and to improve performance. The aim of this meta-analysis was to examine the effectiveness of tools designed to foster monitoring on learning-related variables (academic achievement, self-regulated learning, and motivation). As these tools vary greatly in their design and the addressed components, this meta-analysis aims to uncover how such tools should be implemented to foster monitoring most effectively. The results of this meta-analysis, integrating 109 effect sizes with 3492 participants from 32 intervention studies, supported a reactivity effect by revealing a moderate effect size on academic achievement (d = 0.42), and low effects on self-regulated learning (d = 0.19) and motivation (d = 0.17). These effects were moderated by characteristics of the tool and their implementation. Effect sizes were highest for tools that (1) focused on the monitoring of both learning content as well as learning behavior, (2) stimulated metacognitive monitoring, and (3) were implemented in shorter studies. On a descriptive level, higher effects were found in favor of monitoring interventions that included teacher feedback on self-monitoring entries and allowed learners to directly revise their work based on this feedback. The findings show that there is substantial variation across tools, which yield theoretical and methodological implications on how to foster monitoring as important parts of the self-regulation cycle.

Preferential Choice to Exert Cognitive Effort in Children with ADHD: a Diffusion Modelling Account.

Greater sensitivity to the cost of effortful engagement has long been implicated in the development of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The current study evaluated preferential choice to engage in demanding tasks, and did so in combination with computational methods to interrogate the process of choice. Children aged 8-12 with (n = 49) and without (n = 36) ADHD were administered the cognitive effort discounting paradigm (COG-ED, adapted from Westbrook et al., 2013). Diffusion modelling was subsequently applied to the choice data to allow for a better description of the process of affective decision making. All children showed evidence of effort discounting, but, contrary to theoretical expectations, there was no evidence that children with ADHD judged effortful tasks to be lower in subjective value, or that they maintained a bias towards less effortful tasks. However, children with ADHD developed a much less differentiated mental representation of demand than their non-ADHD counterparts even though familiarity with and exposure to the experience of effort was similar between groups. Thus, despite theoretical arguments to the contrary, and colloquial use of motivational constructs to explain ADHD-related behavior, our findings strongly argue against the presence of greater sensitivity to costs of effort or reduced sensitivity to rewards as an explanatory mechanism. Instead, there appears to be a more global weakness in the metacognitive monitoring of demand, which is a critical precursor for cost-benefit analyses that underlie decisions to engage cognitive control.

The Forward Effect of Delayed Judgments of Learning Is Influenced by Difficulty in Memory and Category Learning.

Delayed judgment of learning (JOL) is a widely used metacognitive monitoring strategy that can also enhance learning outcomes. However, the potential benefits of delayed JOL on subsequent learning of new material, known as the forward effect of delayed JOL, and its stability and underlying mechanisms have yet to be fully explored. In this study, we investigated the forward effect of delayed JOL using previously unexamined word pair materials and explored the boundary conditions of this effect by manipulating the difficulty of the materials. We also examined this effect within the context of category learning. Our findings demonstrate that delayed JOL significantly enhanced the retention of new information (Experiment 1A), while the forward effect of the delayed JOL occurred only for material with a certain degree of difficulty rather than for easy material (Experiment 1B). These findings were extended and replicated using category learning (Experiment 2). These results suggest that delayed JOL can be used as a preparation strategy for subsequent learning, particularly when faced with challenging materials. Our study provides novel insights into the potential benefits and limitations of delayed JOL and contributes to our understanding of the underlying mechanisms that govern metacognitive monitoring and learning strategies.

Comparing Mental Effort, Difficulty, and Confidence Appraisals in Problem-Solving: A Metacognitive Perspective

It is well established in educational research that metacognitive monitoring of performance assessed by self-reports, for instance, asking students to report their confidence in provided answers, is based on heuristic cues rather than on actual success in the task. Subjective self-reports are also used in educational research on cognitive load, where they refer to the perceived amount of mental effort invested in or difficulty of each task item. In the present study, we examined the potential underlying bases and the predictive value of mental effort and difficulty appraisals compared to confidence appraisals by applying metacognitive concepts and paradigms. In three experiments, participants faced verbal logic problems or one of two non-verbal reasoning tasks. In a between-participants design, each task item was followed by either mental effort, difficulty, or confidence appraisals. We examined the associations between the various appraisals, response time, and success rates. Consistently across all experiments, we found that mental effort and difficulty appraisals were associated more strongly than confidence with response time. Further, while all appraisals were highly predictive of solving success, the strength of this association was stronger for difficulty and confidence appraisals (which were similar) than for mental effort appraisals. We conclude that mental effort and difficulty appraisals are prone to misleading cues like other metacognitive judgments and are based on unique underlying processes. These findings challenge the accepted notion that mental effort appraisals can serve as reliable reflections of cognitive load.

The Green Consumption Behavior Process Mechanism of New Energy Vehicles Driven by Big Data—From a Metacognitive Perspective

Green consumption behavior is the embodiment of pro-environmental behavior, which is of great value to curb carbon emissions. However, the existing research on the model construction and quantitative analysis of the psychological process of green consumption behavior needs to be further explored. Therefore, on the basis of green consumption behavior and metacognitive theory, this study constructs a conceptual model of a psychological process with a psychological control source, green consumption attitude, three aspects of metacognition, and green consumption behavior and puts forward the hypothesis of an action mechanism. This study combines text mining technology and expert knowledge to establish a user review mining dictionary and mines the variables in the quantitative conceptual model through word embedding to test empirically the mechanism hypothesis. The results show that psychological control source has a significant impact on green consumption behavior, and green consumption attitude plays a partial mediating role between them. Metacognitive knowledge plays a moderating role between the psychological control source and green consumption behavior; metacognitive experience plays a moderating role between the psychological control source and green consumption attitude. Metacognitive monitoring plays a moderating role between green consumption attitude and green consumption behavior. In view of the above research results, we put forward the following countermeasures and suggestions: For organizations, it is necessary to identify green consumption groups, attach importance to green consumption experience, perform well in green marketing, and improve the competitiveness of green products; for decision makers, it is necessary to control strictly the industry standards of the green product market and perform well not only in the quality supervision of green products but also in the post-market construction of green products.

How People Learn: Cognitive Monitoring

Metacognition is the cognition of cognition. Metacognition is like an observer who is always watching the process of his or her learning, the cognitive process for any problems and errors. This article focuses on the study of metacognitive monitoring as one of the learning processes used to improve student learning. The article elaborates on how metacognitive learning is used to acquire knowledge through progressive learning, critiques the questionable practice of metacognitive learning, and provides a comparative analysis with other learning styles. An in-depth study of metacognition can help further correct and optimize our thinking styles and outcomes and is an essential advancement in our knowledge learning.

Computer‐based scaffoldings influence students' metacognitive monitoring and problem‐solving efficiency in an intelligent tutoring system

AbstractBackgroundComputer‐based scaffolding has been intensively used to facilitate students' self‐regulated learning (SRL). However, most previous studies investigated how computer‐based scaffoldings affected the cognitive aspect of SRL, such as knowledge gains and understanding levels. In contrast, more evidence is needed to examine the effects of scaffolding on the metacognitive dimension and efficiency outcome of SRL.ObjectivesThis study aims to examine the role of computer‐based scaffolding in students' metacognitive monitoring and problem‐solving efficiency.MethodsSeventy‐two medical students completed two clinical reasoning tasks in BioWorld, an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) designed for promoting medical students' diagnostic expertise. During solving the tasks, students were asked to report their confidence judgements about proposed diagnoses. Computer trace data were used to identify task completion time (CT) and students' use of three scaffolding types, that is, conceptual, strategic, and metacognitive. Then we calculated students' metacognitive monitoring accuracy (i.e., calibration) and problem‐solving efficiency.Results and ConclusionsOne‐sample t‐test demonstrated that students inaccurately monitored their learning processes and were overconfident in both tasks. Linear mixed‐effects models (LMMs) indicated that the intensive use of metacognitive scaffolding positively predicted students' metacognitive monitoring accuracy. Moreover, strategic scaffolding was negatively related to problem‐solving efficiency, whereas metacognitive scaffolding positively influenced problem‐solving efficiency.TakeawaysThis study shows the importance of metacognitive scaffolding in improving the accuracy of metacognitive monitoring and problem‐solving efficiency. Findings from this study provide new insights for instructors and ITS developers to optimise the design of scaffoldings.

Dual-Process Theory and Two Types of Metacognitive Monitoring and Control Processes.

Metacognitive monitoring and control processes are important parts of our cognitive system. In this article, they are considered in the light of the dual-process theory and interpreted as occurring at the level of Type 1 and Type 2 information processing. Associative connection is the main factor that allows us to divide these processes into two types. Accordingly, metacognitive monitoring of the first type occurs when feelings of rightness/error automatically appear along with a certain judgment. The second type occurs when a controlled inference is made about whether a judgment is true or false. Metacognitive control of the first type occurs when the decision to reject, revise or accept the received judgment is associated with the feelings of rightness/error and automatically appears when one of these feelings appears. The second type takes place when a person rejects (or they are unclear) the results of the first type of metacognitive control and deliberately decides what to do with the received judgment - reject, revise or accept.

Exploring the relationship between prior knowledge and metacognitive monitoring accuracy

Exploring the relationship between prior knowledge and metacognitive monitoring accuracy

Metacognitive Monitoring via Strategies and Judgments

Abstract: Metacognitive monitoring is conceptualized as a situation-specific and context-dependent process that helps learners to regulate their learning. The current study builds on the idea that metacognitive monitoring can fulfil monitoring functions in different phases (when to monitor: during learning or during testing), and that it refers to several objects (what to monitor: processing or retrieval). The cross-sectional study with 184 higher-education students used a situation-specific approach and referred to students’ monitoring via monitoring strategies and monitoring judgments during test preparation and test processing. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that monitoring via strategies and judgments can be directed at different objects. In addition, monitoring different objects was more strongly correlated within the same phase than across different phases. The study results emphasize the need for an object-specific and comprehensive consideration of metacognitive monitoring via monitoring strategies and monitoring judgments.

7- and 8-Year-Olds’ Struggle With Monitoring

Abstract: An often-replicated finding in metacognition research is that children overestimate their performance. To date, only a few studies have investigated the possible effects of item-specific feedback on metacognitive monitoring in young children. This study examined whether first-graders benefit from feedback to improve metacognitive monitoring discrimination when completing a paired-associates task for consistency. Over six sessions, N = 112 children evaluated whether they solved tasks correctly or not and gave item-specific confidence judgments. One group obtained only performance feedback; the other group received additional feedback on whether their performance matched their monitoring judgments. Results revealed that children could adequately discriminate between correct and incorrect answers in their confidence judgments. However, neither type of feedback improved metacognitive monitoring discrimination. We discuss the results against the theoretical background of Efklides’ self-regulation model and the cue utilization approach.

Understanding and Supporting Metacognitive Monitoring Judgments – A Commentary

Understanding and Supporting Metacognitive Monitoring Judgments – A Commentary

Metacognitive Judgment Skills and the Metacognitive Component of Self-Regulated Learning

Abstract: Metacognitive judgments as part of metacognitive monitoring can be measured using different methods and show individual differences. Moreover, metacognitive judgments are highly related to the metacognitive component of self-regulated learning (SRL-MC). Nevertheless, it is unclear how metacognitive judgments are related to different ways of measuring SRL-MC. Adopting a person-oriented, multimethod approach, we measured three metacognitive judgment forms in a sample of 99 college students. Latent profile analyses resulted in four groups with differing profiles of these metacognitive judgment measures. Linking the profiles to performance, we could contextualize them within the unskilled- and unaware-effect and extend previous research on this effect. Regarding their relationship to SRL-MC, we found no differences for questionnaire values, microanalysis results, and strategy knowledge scores. These results are discussed with regard to the conceptual overlap of metacognitive judgments and SRL-MC.

Metacognitive computations for information search: Confidence in control.

The metacognitive sense of confidence can play a critical role in regulating decision making. In particular, a lack of confidence can justify the explicit, potentially costly, instrumental acquisition of extra information that might resolve uncertainty. Human confidence is highly complex, and recent computational work has suggested a statistically sophisticated tapestry behind the information that governs both the making and monitoring of choices. However, the consequences of the form of such confidence computations for search have yet to be understood. Here, we reveal extra richness in the use of confidence for information seeking by formulating joint models of action, confidence, and information search within a Bayesian and reinforcement learning framework. Through detailed theoretical analysis of these models, we show the intricate normative downstream consequences for search arising from more complex forms of metacognition. For example, our results highlight how the ability to monitor errors or general metacognitive sensitivity impact seeking decisions and can generate diverse relationships between action, confidence, and the optimal search for information. We also explore whether empirical search behavior enjoys any of the characteristics of normatively derived prescriptions. More broadly, our work demonstrates that it is crucial to treat metacognitive monitoring and control as closely linked processes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).