Metacognitive Processes Research Articles

Linking mentalizing capacity, shame, and depressive symptoms in the context of childhood maltreatment

BackgroundExperiences of childhood maltreatment have been shown to be a crucial predictor of depressive symptoms. ObjectiveThis study investigated the association between a history of maltreatment and depressive symptoms in a mixed sample of adults, exploring whether feelings of shame and impairments in mentalizing mediate this association and potentially represent health-affecting factors associated with an increase in depressive symptoms. Further, the association between feelings of shame and depressive symptoms was expected to be moderated by impairments in mentalizing. Participants and settingA mixed sample of 796 adults, including clinical and non-clinical participants, completed questionnaires assessing retrospectively rated experiences of childhood maltreatment, feelings of shame, mentalizing capacities, and current depressive symptoms in a cross-sectional design. MethodsThe hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling. ResultsAssociations were found between childhood maltreatment, feelings of shame, impairments in mentalizing, and depressive symptoms. Impairments in mentalizing and feelings of shame partially mediated the link between maltreatment and depressive symptoms. However, impairments in mentalizing did not moderate the link between shame and depressive symptoms. ConclusionThe current study provides evidence for the role of metacognitive processes that affect mental health problems in the domain of depression. Psychological treatments that promote mentalizing capacities might be helpful in reducing feelings of shame, and consequently in reducing depressive symptoms.

Cost of Being Online for Brain: Changing Working Memory Attributes, Associated Metacognitive Knowledge and Long-Term Memory Processing

Converging evidence from neuroscience and psychological sciences demonstrates that continuous sensory stimulation within the intensive internet use affects brain functioning on a broad scale. This includes essential memory, and metacognitive functions extend to the healthiness and disorders which are critical for the adaptive behavior and learning processes. This study aims to show the relation between intensive internet use and the responds of the brain in neural and behavioral levels through some working memory attributes and associated metacognitive functions and long-term memory processing. Accordingly, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies suggest that being online intensively has an impact on activation levels in Anterior Cingulate Cortex, Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex, Orbitofrontal Cortex, Medial and Medial frontal Gyrus, ventral striatum, and the dynamic connectivity pathways including frontal, medial and parietal networks such as Default Mode Network and Task Network which are important for memory and metacognitive functions. Moreover, intensive internet use habits affect some cognitive skills such as the selection of information cues, manipulation and retention of the information and attentional control; evaluation of one’s present knowledge, and regulation of the learning processes for; encoding, consolidation and retrieval of information for long-term memory processes are the effected features. As a conclusion, intensive internet use has a critical impact on neural processes in modular and whole brain level and could play a strong role for the alteration of memory and metacognitive processes.

Metacognitive processes accompanying the first stages of autobiographical retrieval in the self-memory system

ABSTRACT According to Conway’s view, Autobiographical memory (AM) construction is accompanied by control processes. These processes range from filtering out relevant memories according to the current context, to generating or elaborating appropriate retrieval cues. These processes can be conceptualised as metacognition, the ability to control and monitor cognitive processes. Experimentally, little has been carried out to support the idea that metacognition is involved in AM. To assess this, we designed a task, the Feeling of Retrieval. Participants had to predict whether cue words would facilitate AM access (i.e., fluent access cues) or not (i.e., limited access cues) in a limited time (either 1 (Exp. 2) or 2 (Exp. 1) s). Later, they retrieved memories in response to both types of cues. Results show that cues judged as fluent access led to better AM generation, as illustrated by AM retrieval latency and a subjective measure of the ease with which the AMs were retrieved. These rapid predictions may rely on epistemic feelings and / or other mnemonic cues such as a partial retrieval of information. This metacognitive access to the earliest stages of AM retrieval illustrates the ability to monitor AM processes as proposed by Conway (2005).

The Analysis of Conceptual Approaches to the Monitoring of Metacognitive Processes of Junior Schoolchildren

It is quite natural that in the educational process, within various academic subjects, the junior schoolchildren face a number of such difficulties as new types of tasks, mixed orientations in unfamiliar situations and so on. When we conduct research on the existing approaches, we come to the conclusion that it is necessary to manage metacognitive processes in order to ensure the cognitive level of junior schoolchildren. Those processes imply mechanisms in which the student has developed certain skills, as s/he consciously selects and performs actions that will lead to solving the assigned problems and identifying appropriate answers to the questions asked. In this article metacognitive processes are discussed not in the context of one academic subject, but in the context of all the academic subjects that are taught in elementary school. Due to metacognitive processes, the interdisciplinary ties within the subjects developing in the elementary school is also important. In addition, due to the metacognitive skills, the junior schoolchildren are able to apply the knowledge about one subject in the context of another subject. One of the components of managing the metacognitive processes of junior schoolchildren is the development of skills for the controversial understanding of new academic material, which excludes mechanical process. In the context of managing metacognitive processes, junior schoolchildren develop abilities with the help of which they not only learn academic material, but also create an environment for consolidating their knowledge.

Age-related differences in metacognitive reactivity in younger and older adults

When we monitor our learning, often measured via judgments of learning (JOLs), this metacognitive process can change what is remembered. For example, prior work has demonstrated that making JOLs enhances memory for related, but not unrelated, word pairs in younger adults. In the current study, we examined potential age-related differences in metacognitive reactivity. Younger and older adults studied lists of related and unrelated word pairs to remember for a later cued recall test where they would be presented with one of the words from the pair and be asked to recall its associate. Additionally, participants either made a JOL for each pair or had an inter-stimulus interval of equal duration as the JOL period. Results revealed that while making metacognitive judgments did not significantly affect memory in younger adults (i.e., no reactivity), this procedure impaired memory in older adults (i.e., negative reactivity), particularly for unrelated word pairs. Specifically, older adults demonstrated better cued recall when each word was followed by an inter-stimulus interval than when asked to predict the likelihood of remembering each word during the study phase. This may be a consequence of JOLs increasing task demands/cognitive load, which could reduce the elaborative encoding of associations between word pairs in older adults, but older adults’ preserved or even enhanced semantic memory may mask negative reactivity for related word pairs. Future work is needed to better understand the mechanisms contributing to the reactivity effects in younger and older adults for different types of to-be-remembered information.

What is the room for guessing in metacognition? Findings in mathematics problem solving based on gender differences

Introduction. Understanding the interaction of metacognitive strategies with guessing in problem-solving is a focus point in educational psychology, especially in mathematics education, especially with gender differences. These provide different nuances in understanding students' cognitive dynamics in guessing and metacognitive strategies. These interactions must be explained in depth to understand the unique phenomenon of second-guessing that sometimes arises in metacognitive activities based on students' gender. This research aims to reveal the process of metacognition and students' guessing thinking in solving mathematical problems. This research seeks to contribute to an empirical of metacognitive processes and their practical implications for educators and curriculum designers by uncovering these activities. Study participants and methods. The participants in this study were (30) 12th-grade high school students, consisting of (16) female students and (14) male students who had studied mathematics with statistical material. The primary method in this research is a case study with a qualitative descriptive approach. The indepth interview technique using the MAI protocol is based on the results of mathematical problem-solving to explore information about students' natural metacognitive processes according to what they think when working on problems. Semi-structured interviews used the Indonesian language to eliminate the influence of differences in regional language proficiency levels as much as possible. Results. The results of interviews on mathematical problem-solving tasks show a 'guessing' strategy in students' metacognitive activities. However, there is a striking difference between female and male students' use of the 'guessing' strategy when solving mathematical problems. Female students use the 'guessing' method more often than male students; even the 'guessing' method used by male students cannot solve the problem, thus changing the guessing strategy to estimation. This means that most of the students' answers used the guessing method. These findings underscore the dynamic nature of the cognitive processes used by students, revealing diverse interactions between metacognitive strategies and guessing during problem-solving efforts. Conclusion. This research shows that rather than standing in isolation, guessing has a place within metacognitive processes, with metacognitive regulation guiding and shaping the deliberate application of guessing in mathematical problem-solving contexts. This can be a factor for reconsidering the perceived dichotomy between precision-driven methodologies and intuitive guessing.

Confidence biases in problem gambling.

Subjective confidence plays an important role in guiding behaviour, especially when objective feedback is unavailable. Systematic misjudgements in confidence can foster maladaptive behaviours and have been linked to various psychiatric disorders. In this study, we adopted a transdiagnostic approach to examine confidence biases in problem gamblers across three levels: local decision confidence, global task performance confidence, and overall self-esteem. The importance of taking a transdiagnostic perspective is increasingly recognised, as it captures the dimensional nature of psychiatric symptoms that often cut across diagnostic boundaries. Accordingly, we investigated if any observed confidence biases could be explained by transdiagnostic symptom dimensions of Anxiety-Depression and Compulsive Behaviour and Intrusive Thought. This approach allows us to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the role of metacognitive processes in problem gambling, beyond the constraints of traditional diagnostic categories. Thirty-eight problem gamblers and 38 demographically matched control participants engaged in a gamified metacognition task and completed self-report questionnaires assessing transdiagnostic symptom dimensions. Compared to controls, problem gamblers displayed significantly elevated confidence at the local decision and global task levels, independent of their actual task performance. This elevated confidence was observed even after controlling for the heightened symptom levels of Anxiety-Depression and Compulsive Behaviour and Intrusive Thought among the problem gamblers. The results reveal a notable disparity in confidence levels between problem gamblers and control participants, not fully accounted for by the symptom dimensions Anxiety-Depression and Compulsive Behaviour and Intrusive Thought. This suggests the contribution of other factors, perhaps linked to gambling-specific cognitive distortions, tothe observed confidence biases. The findings highlight the intricate link between metacognitive confidence and psychiatric symptoms in the context of problem gambling. It underscores the need for further research into metacognitive biases, which could enhance therapeutic approaches for individuals with psychiatric conditions.

Validation of Shortened Forms of Metacognition Questionnaire-Insomnia and Its Feasibility in the Discrepancy-Cognitive Arousal Model of Insomnia Among Patients With Cancer.

We aimed to explore the reliability and validity of the two shortened versions of the Metacognition Questionnaire-Insomnia (Metacognition Questionnaire-Insomnia-6 items [MCQI-6], Metacognition Questionnaire-Insomnia-14 items [MCQI-14]) among patients with cancer and examine the feasibility of the Discrepancy-Cognitive Arousal (DCA) model of insomnia among the cancer patients. A total of 154 patients with cancer were enrolled in this survey, which included rating scales such as the discrepancy between desired time in bed and desired total sleep time (DBST) index, Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Cancer-related Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitude about Sleep-14 items (C-DBAS-14), MCQI-6, and MCQI-14. Both the MCQI-6 and MCQI-14 showed a good reliability of internal consistency. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a good model fit for two single-factor shortened versions. The total score of the MCQI-6 was significantly correlated with the MCQI-14 (r=0.97, p<0.01), ISI (r=0.68, p<0.01), C-DBAS-14 (r=0.78, p<0.01), and DBST index (r=0.21, p<0.05). Mediation analysis showed that the DBST index did not directly influence insomnia severity; however, the relationship was mediated by cancer-related dysfunctional beliefs about sleep and sleep-related metacognitive process among patients with cancer. The Korean versions of MCQI-6 and MCQI-14 are useful, reliable, and valid tools to evaluate sleep-related metacognitive processes among patients with cancer. The DCA model of insomnia was feasible even among cancer patients.

Thirty years of writing assessment: A bibliometric analysis of research trends and future directions

This study employs a bibliometric analysis to identify the research trends in the field of writing assessment over the last 30 years (1993–2022). Employing a dataset of 1,712 articles and 52,092 unique references, keyword co-occurrence analyses were used to identify prominent research topics, co-citation analyses were conducted to identify influential publications and journals, and a structural variation analysis was employed to identify transformative research in recent years. The results revealed the growing popularity of the writing assessment field, and the increasing diversity of research topics in the field. The research trends have become more associated with technology and cognitive and metacognitive processes. The influential publications indicate changes in research interest towards cross-disciplinary publications. The journals identified as key venues for writing assessment research also changed across the three decades. The latest transformative research points out possible future directions, including the integration of computational methods in writing assessment, and investigations into relationships between writing quality and various factors. This study contributes to our understanding of the development and future directions of writing assessment research, and has implications for researchers and practitioners.

Examining the Utilisation of Learning Techniques and Strategies Among Pedagogy Students : Implications for Self-Regulated Learning

Abstract Self-regulated learning is a multifaceted process that involves cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, affective, and behavioural components. These components are interconnected and influenced by contextual factors that shape the overall learning experience. Self-regulated learning empowers students to take control of their learning by utilising effective learning techniques, engaging in metacognitive processes, and fostering motivation and self-efficacy beliefs. The goal of the article is to explore the importance of self-regulated learning in enhancing students’ academic performance and fostering a deep understanding of the learning material. Specifically, this research article explores the utilisation of learning techniques and strategies (LTSs) among pedagogy students, investigating their patterns and preferences for self-studying. The analysis of survey responses from a sample of 76 pedagogy students revealed that the most commonly used LTSs are rereading, note-taking, memorising, and highlighting. The utilisation of LTSs that are empirically considered effective, such as distributed practice, practice testing, and elaborative interrogation, was found to be extremely low. Moreover, the study revealed a lack of comprehensive training in learning techniques and strategies in pedagogy programmes, suggesting that current teachers are not adequately trained to create optimal classroom contexts for developing flexible self-regulatory skills in students. The findings highlight that by incorporating these practices into curriculum, future educators can empower their students to become active learners who select the appropriate strategies and reflect on their learning process. This paper contributes to an understanding of self-regulated learning and the implications of self-regulated learning for educational practices.

Deficits in memory metacognitive efficiency in late adulthood are related to distinct brain profile

ABSTRACT The tendency of falsely remembering events that did not happen in the past increases with age. This is particularly evident in cases in which features presented at study are re-presented at test in a recombined constellation (termed rearranged pairs). Interestingly, older adults also express high confidence in such false memories, a tendency that may indicate reduced metacognitive efficiency. Within an existing cohort study, we aimed at investigating age-related differences in memory metacognitive efficiency (as measured by meta d’ ratio) in a sample of 1522 older adults and 397 young adults. The analysis showed an age-related deficit in metacognition which was more pronounced for rearranged pairs than for new pairs. We then explored associations between cortical thickness and memory metacognitive efficiency for rearranged pairs in a subsample of 231 older adults. By using partial least square analysis, we found that a multivariate profile composed by ventromedial prefrontal cortex, insula, and parahippocampal cortex was uniquely associated with between-person differences in memory metacognitive efficiency. These results suggest that the impairment in memory metacognitive efficiency for false alarms is a distinct age-related deficit, above and beyond a general age-related decline in memory discrimination, and that it is associated with brain regions involved in metacognitive processes.

Analysis of the Relationship Between Emotion Regulation Difficulties and Impulsivity and Cognitive/Metacognitive Skills in Adolescents Diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a significant psychiatric disorder among children and adolescents. It is important that the relationship with depression is analyzed in adolescents in which cognitive and metacognitive processes are different from adult individuals. Forty-five patients and 44 healthy controls were included in our study. Participants were administered Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Barratt Impulsivity Scale, Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), and Stroop test. When the DERS total scores were evaluated, a statistically significant difference was found between the 2 groups in terms of DERS scores. In the healthy controls, the emotion regulation skills were significantly higher compared with the MDD group. In the Stroop test, particularly in the fifth section, the control group displayed a statistically significant better performance in both total duration and the number of mistakes made compared with the study group. In the BRIEF test a statistically significant difference was found between the control group and the study group in all 3 areas. In order to determine the efficient factors related to the statistical difference between the BRIEF scores, the multiple linear regression analysis was used. It was found that depression scores and Stroop performance influence executive functions. Given that Stoop performance can overlap with executive functions, this outcome was expected. However, the impact of depression scores affecting executive functions is also anticipated, considering that these scores particularly affect attention among the cognitive and maladaptive cognitive processes, such as rumination.

Exploring the Therapeutic Role of Art in Enhancing Mental Health and Quality of Life in Older Adults

With a growing population of older adults facing age-related health issues, cognitive decline, and prevalent mental health disorders, the study focuses on the potential of art therapy as a holistic solution. Art therapy, beyond cognitive benefits, offers profound purpose, joy, and playfulness. It serves as a coping mechanism for traumatic events, fostering autonomy and positive self-perception. The study investigates the science and psychology of art therapy and highlights the neural basis for the rewarding aspects of creating art and the role of meta-cognitive processes. Other benefits include its impact on the environment, cognitive function, medical conditions, dementia, and cancer. Comparatively, art therapy emerges as a cost-effective and successful treatment option, particularly for individuals who may struggle with exclusively verbal approaches. Case studies, such as the Open Studio Approach, emphasize the flexibility of art therapy and its potential to aid depression and cognitive interventions for older adults. In conclusion, the incorporation of art therapy to comprehensively address the many health challenges faced by older adults showcases a potential to improve cognitive function, mental health, and overall quality of life.

Psychometric Evaluation of the Metacognitions Questionnaire – Short Form (MCQ-30) in Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Reliability, Validity and Utility in a Clinical Sample

AbstractThe Metacognitions Questionnaire – Short Form (MCQ-30) was designed as a parsimonious measure of the metacognitive beliefs and processes implicated in the maintenance of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The present study sought to examine the psychometric properties and clinical utility of the MCQ-30 among people with GAD. One hundred and thirty-nine adults diagnosed with GAD and 76 non-clinical controls completed the MCQ-30 and self-report measures of worry, fear of anxiety, attempted thought suppression, distress, GAD symptoms, and interference. A five-factor structure was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Among the clinical sample, CFA supported the construct validity of the scale, although the relationship between the factors differed from community samples. Evidence was found for the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and concurrent, convergent and criterion validity of the MCQ-30 in people with GAD. The treatment sensitivity and clinical responsiveness of the scale were also demonstrated, with the Uncontrollability and Danger Beliefs subscale identified as the most accurate predictor of clinical status. This subscale also exhibited the strongest correlations with most symptom measures, highlighting the cardinal role played by negative beliefs about worry in maintaining clinical levels of GAD. This study provides the first evidence of the reliability, validity and clinical utility of the MCQ-30 with people diagnosed with GAD.

Examining Children’s Memory Performance: The Role of Parents’ and Children’s Metacognitive Talk During Reminiscence and Play

ABSTRACT Recent research has highlighted the critical role in children’s cognitive development of the metacognitive support parents give their children during everyday interactions. Our main goal was to examine whether parents made consistent use of metacognitive talk across different parent – child interaction contexts and to document the effect of this metacognitive talk across contexts on preschoolers’ memory. The relation between children’s and parents’ metacognitive talk was also examined, along with the link between children’s metacognitive talk and their own memory performance. 64 Belgian preschooler – parent dyads (M age = 40.3 months) were invited to play memory games together and to reminisce about a standardized event. In both contexts, parents’ and children’s utterances were analyzed for their metacognitive content. Children’s episodic memory was assessed through a story-recall task. Results revealed that, in terms of frequency of use, parents exhibited a somewhat consistent metacognitive style across contexts. The nature of the metacognitive comments that were produced, however, varied depending on the context. Moreover, parents’ consistent production of higher rates of metacognitive comments in both contexts was found to be associated with better memory performance in children. Our data also revealed that children’s tendency to make metacognitive comments was related to their parents’ metacognitive production and to their own memory performance. By documenting the relations between parents’ and children’s metacognitive talk and the effect on children’s memory, this study provides promising avenues for a better understanding of how metacognitive processes might be involved in early memory development.

Managing Your Muse: Exploring Three Levels of Metacognitive Control in Creative Ideation

ABSTRACT Creative ideation tasks are typically ill-defined and thus should benefit from metacognition. However, the role of metacognitive processes―especially metacognitive control―in creative ideation appears understudied. Therefore, we conducted an online study investigating the relationship between different aspects of metacognitive control and divergent thinking (DT) performance. In line with the recently proposed creative metacognition framework , we devised measures that delineate metacognitive control at the levels of task, performance, and responses: Metacognitive control at task level was assessed in terms of attention focus devoted to each task; metacognitive control at performance level was assessed in terms of the goal-directedness of the employed task strategy; metacognitive control at response level was assessed in terms of how effectively uncreative ideas were screened out. We observed substantial individual differences in all three measures as well as first evidence of their validity. Importantly, metacognitive control at all three levels independently predicted higher DT creativity. Additional analyses suggested that effects of metacognitive control may extend to creative behavior, partly mediated by DT. In sum, this study provides first empirical support for the relevance of distinguishable aspects of metacognitive control at task, performance, and response levels in creative performance.

Distinct neural markers of evidence accumulation index metacognitive processing before and after simple visual decisions.

Perceptual decision-making is affected by uncertainty arising from the reliability of incoming sensory evidence (perceptual uncertainty) and the categorization of that evidence relative to a choice boundary (categorical uncertainty). Here, we investigated how these factors impact the temporal dynamics of evidence processing during decision-making and subsequent metacognitive judgments. Participants performed a motion discrimination task while electroencephalography was recorded. We manipulated perceptual uncertainty by varying motion coherence, and categorical uncertainty by varying the angular offset of motion signals relative to a criterion. After each trial, participants rated their desire to change their mind. High uncertainty impaired perceptual and metacognitive judgments and reduced the amplitude of the centro-parietal positivity, a neural marker of evidence accumulation. Coherence and offset affected the centro-parietal positivity at different time points, suggesting that perceptual and categorical uncertainty affect decision-making in sequential stages. Moreover, the centro-parietal positivity predicted participants' metacognitive judgments: larger predecisional centro-parietal positivity amplitude was associated with less desire to change one's mind, whereas larger postdecisional centro-parietal positivity amplitude was associated with greater desire to change one's mind, but only following errors. These findings reveal a dissociation between predecisional and postdecisional evidence processing, suggesting that the CPP tracks potentially distinct cognitive processes before and after a decision.

Contributions of Metacognition to Creative Performance and Behavior

ABSTRACTHow are ideas born? Contrary to commonly held beliefs, creative performance, like any goal‐oriented action, requires understanding and managing one's own cognitive processes – thus, efficient metacognition. Recently, a systematic framework of creative metacognition (CMC) has been proposed, assuming the relevance of metacognitive knowledge, monitoring, and control in creative performance. Here, we provide the first comprehensive empirical examination of this conception. Specifically, an online sample (N = 425) performed divergent thinking (DT) tasks and gave insight in relevant aspects of metacognitive processes during task performance. The study revealed that all three proposed components of CMC played independent roles in enhancing creative cognitive performance, including divergent thinking creativity and fluency. Among these components, metacognitive control showed the strongest positive association with creative cognitive performance. As expected, CMC was especially relevant to imminent creative task performance but showed some association with real‐life creativity. These findings provide the first empirical evidence that all three postulated components of CMC support creative performance and, to a lesser degree, to creative behavior. In the discussion, we delve deeper into the specific roles of these metacognitive subcomponents in enhancing creative cognitive performance and touch upon the differences between the roles of self‐regulation and metacognition in creativity.

Face matching and self-insight: A Registered Report investigating individual differences in metacognitive sensitivity, efficiency, and bias.

Deciding whether two face photographs depict the same person or not can be a challenging task, and there are substantial individual differences in face matching ability. Far less is known about differences in metacognitive ability; that is, how well people can estimate the quality of their own face matching judgements. The purpose of this Registered Report was to determine the relationship between first-order performance in a face matching task, and three metacognitive measures: metacognitive sensitivity (the information exploited by metacognition), metacognitive efficiency (the quality of metacognitive processing itself), and metacognitive bias (the overall tendency towards high or low confidence). Participants completed a 200-trial unfamiliar face matching task, providing a second-order (metacognitive) confidence rating after each first-order (cognitive) response. Cognitive performance and metacognitive sensitivity showed a substantial positive association (rs = .60), suggesting that they were based on overlapping information, with poorer performers having lower quality information available. Once these differences in the information available to metacognition were accounted for, the quality of metacognitive processing itself (metacognitive efficiency) did not vary systematically with cognitive performance (rs = .00). Moreover, poor performers were not less or more confident overall than good performers, as cognitive performance and metacognitive bias did not correlate significantly (rs = .11). These findings allow us to move beyond consideration of group-level insight and inform regarding individual differences in cognitive and metacognitive abilities.

Metacognitive Self-management in Developing Students' Rigorous Mathematical Thinking Skills

This study aims to describe the metacognitive self-management of students in developing rigorous mathematical thinking. This study uses a qualitative method with a case study approach. The participants were three students from the thirdlevel mathematics education department, who were selected and made a contract with for real analysis lectures. The first student experienced a significant change from the beginning of the meeting, resulting in the metacognitive self-management process being well-conditioned. He completed the task more confidently than the initial presentation, used several references and sources of information to complete the job, and represented each answer in the form of mathematical symbols. This studentscognitive function appears to be of level-1, with qualitative thinking. For the 2nd student, a change was observed in the learning process and the teacher’s motivation and guidance. The results of the interviews showed that the student applied strategies in completing assignments. He answered them systematically, based on experience, and mastered the prerequisite material. This student showed improved thinking skills related to mastery of concepts from new material, analyzing the problems given, being critical and focused when answering, and looking hard to get maximum evaluation results. This 2nd student entered the level of quantitative thinking with precision. Lastly, in the 3rd student, self-management seems stable, but was still lacking in adjusting the understanding of prerequisites with understanding concepts from new material. The development during the learning process shows that he can activate his mathematical knowledge, compose logical proofs of Real Analysis material problems, and build relationships between prerequisite concepts and new material. This type of student enters the level of abstract relational. The results of the study can be a reference for teachers to determine the learning model and the related instruments, so that they can grow the level of mathematical thinking before, during, and after the learning process. Keywords: Metacognitive, self-management, Mathematical thinking skill