Metacognitive Processes Research Articles

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

Cultivating Self-Transcendence Through Meditation Practice: A Test of the Role of Meta-Awareness, (Dis)identification and Non-Reactivity.

In this paper, we present a study comprising two distinct stages to examine the extent to which metacognitive processes of decentering facilitate the emergence of self-transcendence experiences in everyday life (i.e., the frequency of self-transcendent emotions, flow proneness, and adopting an interconnected identity). In the course of conducting this research, the first stage (N = 374) focused on assessing the structure and validity of the French version of the Metacognitive Processes of Decentering Scale (MPoD-t). Building on this, the second stage (N = 294) examined the potential relationship between meditative practices and psychological decentering processes (i.e., meta-awareness, (dis)identification with internal experiences, and (non)reactivity to thought content) and explored whether these mechanisms explain the association between meditative practices and the experience of self-transcendent states. Overall, the results demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties of the French version of the MPoD and provided enhanced insights into the distinct mediating roles played by various decentering components in the manifestation of self-transcendence experiences in daily life. Indeed, the findings revealed that the relationship between practice and the occurrence of self-transcendent emotions or flow was mediated by the meta-awareness component, while the association between practice and the development of an interconnected identity was explained by the (dis)identification with internal experiences component. The implications of these findings are discussed.

The developmental path of metacognition from toddlerhood to early childhood and its influence on later memory performance.

Recently, several studies have suggested that metacognition emerges early in infancy and toddlerhood. However, to date, the developmental trajectory of these early metacognitive monitoring and control processes and their influence on children's later memory functioning remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to longitudinally document the development of metacognition between the ages of 2.5 and 4.5 years and to examine the link between these early metacognitive skills and later memory performance. To do so, 69 children initially aged 29-33 months old (NT0 = 69; 32 females; Mage = 32.3 months; SD = 1.6) were tested at three time points (12-month intervals) with a recognition memory paradigm designed to assess both metacognitive monitoring, through retrospective confidence judgment, and metacognitive control, through a cue selection task (i.e., children had the opportunity to ask for a cue to help them change their memory decision). In addition, at the last session, an episodic memory task (story recall) was also administered. Our results revealed an improvement in monitoring and control processes between 2.5 and 4.5 years with above-chance performance from around age 3.5. Mixed-effects modeling also indicated that metacognitive monitoring at ages 2.5 and 4.5, but not-unexpectedly-metacognitive control, was related to children's memory performance at age 4.5. Overall, our results provide evidence to enhance our understanding of the developmental course of metacognition from toddlerhood to early childhood and suggest that metacognitive processes are involved in memory performance much earlier than had previously been shown. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The Influence of Feeling-of-Knowing on Metacognitive Processes in the Digital Media Environment

Abstract: Research demonstrates that people outsource memory work to digital devices and to the web, which consequently engenders elevated self-assessments, such as enhanced cognitive self-esteem (CSE). Yet, the reasons for this phenomenon are not well-known. In this domain, two studies explored the role of feeling-of-knowing (FoK) – one’s judgment about whether currently nonrecallable information is actually known – on enhanced CSE. Findings show that people believe that their ability to find needed information is better after performing a web search for answers, as a function of elevated FoK that occurs in the process, and that experiencing greater FoK is related to greater perceived memory ability, better anticipated future performance, and easier perceived question difficulty. Evidence of this metacognitive effect is particularly intriguing since it is also highly paradoxical: under precisely the circumstances when people should recognize their cognitive shortcomings, they assess them to be especially strong.

A metaconceptually-enriched argumentation activity for creating the scientific understanding: example of simple electrical circuits

Argumentation plays a central role in the development and justification of scientific knowledge. Learners could attain a more scientifically acceptable conceptual understanding by attending argumentation-based discussions. During argumentation-based discussions, students need to activate some metacognitive processes related to concept learning, such as being aware of their and others’ existing concepts, monitoring the consistency between their own claims and counterclaims, and evaluating the validity of the evidence they applied to justify their claims. In this article, some prompts were inserted that aim to activate preservice science teachers’ (PSTs’) metaconceptual processes explicitly and systematically into the stages of Predict-Observe-Explain activities, one of the ways to engage students in argumentation. This activity aimed to facilitate PSTs in constructing more scientifically acceptable concepts about simple electrical circuits by ensuring the activation of various metaconceptual processes as they justify or reason the validity of different claims.

Reality testing and metacognition

ABSTRACT Reality testing is the process by which we distinguish our own perceptual states from imagination or episodic memory. I argue that reality testing is a metacognitive process. Since reality testing is also accomplished by creatures who lack mental state concepts, it follows that reality testing is a nonconceptual metacognitive process. I also provide prima facie evidence that reality testing is a necessary condition for prototypical cognitive states like belief. It follows that metacognition is phylogenetically and logically prior to cognition in many cases.

Evaluation and Self-Evaluation of Teachers During the Educational Process

The position of teachers in modern teaching and changes related to educational reforms require a high degree of professionalism from teachers themselves, which, as Marentic Pozarnik (2000, p. 4) points out, is essentially “the ability of detailed professional judgment appropriate to the situation (reflection) as well as methods and procedures”. It is important for "trained” teachers to know, in a special, responsible way, to learn from their practice. At the same time, experiential and reflective approaches to learning imply a changed role of teachers, and only in the second step the application of specific methods and techniques are suitable for encouraging experiential learning (Vizek Vidovic & Vlahovic Stetic, 2007, p. 303). In the concept of "critical professional", the teacher in the educational and wider social field implies an awareness of the responsibilities of his profession at an individual level and society as a whole. A critical professional is able to think critically, both about his practical work and about the context of his work. He has developed an implicit understanding of the practical situation and the wider context. Professionals - experts at a higher level of professional activity are able to monitor and reflect, reconstruct and articulate knowledge gained from experience (Valencic Zuljan, 2001, p. 136). The very concept of reflection comes from the Latin reflectere that means reflection, contemplation, judgment. It is a process of experiential learning based on in-depth analysis of one's own practice and cognition, in other words connecting and directing the thinking and actions of an individual (metacognitive process) (Bell et al., 1993, as cited in Skok, 2002, p. 14).

Conveying the learning self to others: doctoral candidates conceptualising and communicating the complexion of development

PurposeHighly developed and agile learners who can clearly convey and call on their skills are sought in all walks of life. Diverse demand for these capacities has called attention to how the skills and knowledge gained during doctoral study can be conveyed, translated and leveraged in non-academic settings; however, the complex learning reality underneath doctoral development is challenging to convey.Design/methodology/approachThe data set for this particular analysis was obtained from 245 in-depth telephone interviews with PhD candidates collected prior to COVID-19. Candidates were asked about learning processes, challenges and changes, and both the questions and thematic analysis were guided by theories of doctoral development and transformational learning.FindingsFor many participants, learning and development were not familiar topics, while a small proportion deflected questions about learning altogether. One fifth of participants presented rich and lucid accounts of learning in which cognisance of complexity, metacognitive processes and transformational experiences were embedded and multiple avenues of development were in evidence. They were well-placed to convey the complexion of doctoral development. Candidates more deeply engaged in learning also commented more about changes they noticed in themselves. The most identified avenue of development was in understanding and approach to knowledge.Originality/valueCandidate communication about learning and development is an under-explored dimension of doctoral experience and skill that is relevant to advancing knowledge about doctoral development and illuminating graduate potential both within and outside academe. This must constitute a key element of the re-vitalisation of the doctorate post-pandemic. The salience of framing transferable skills within a learning development perspective is discussed.

The Effect of a Virtual Reality Counseling Program Based on Metacognitive Therapy in Reducing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Those Recovering from Covid-19

IntroductionMany COVID-19 survivors who were attacked and suffered severe symptoms of the virus have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which persists for long periods. These people need treatment to alleviate the severity of these disorders. Metacognitive therapy (MCT) is one of the modern therapeutic trends in psychological counseling, which focuses on the nature of the thought rather than on identifying and changing the thought as in other cognitive therapies. It is also concerned with whether people possess an aspect of reflective awareness and aims for a broader understanding of the way the mind works. Working on the process of metacognition, that is, the individual’s thinking about what he knows, being aware of his thoughts, and constantly monitoring and organizing them, helps reduce anxiety disorders and mood swings, and this will reduce psychotic disorders.ObjectivesThe current study aims to identify the effect of a virtual reality (VR) counseling program based on MCT in reducing the severity of PTSD among survivors of Covid-19. It also examines the continuity of the effectiveness of this program in reducing these disorders.MethodsThe quasi-experimental method (two group design) with experimental and control groups with a pre-posttest and a follow-up test was adopted. The sample for the current study consisted of 60 COVID-19 survivors suffering from PTSD. The PTSD scale was applied online to a group of people recovering from Covid-19 from the Arab Republic of Egypt. Then those who had high scores were selected, contacted and their consent was obtained to apply a virtual reality counseling program to them. The counseling program was implemented via virtual reality technology, and consisted of 20 counseling sessions, each session lasted between 60-90 minutes. The program continued for two months, with two sessions per week.ResultsThe results of the current research revealed a significant improvement in the experimental group through a significant reduction in their post-traumatic stress disorders. The results also showed the effectiveness of the counseling program based on metacognitive therapy in reducing the manifestations of post-traumatic stress disorders in those recovering from Covid-19. The results confirmed the continuing effect of the program after the follow-up period.ConclusionsUsing metacognitive therapy has an effective effect in reducing post-traumatic stress disorder, and it can be used with many psychologically disturbed people.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Metacognitive evaluation of postdecisional perceptual representations.

Perceptual confidence is thought to arise from metacognitive processes that evaluate the underlying perceptual decision evidence. We investigated whether metacognitive access to perceptual evidence is constrained by the hierarchical organization of visual cortex, where high-level representations tend to be more readily available for explicit scrutiny. We found that the ability of human observers to evaluate their confidence did depend on whether they performed a high-level or low-level task on the same stimuli, but was also affected by manipulations that occurred long after the perceptual decision. Confidence in low-level perceptual decisions degraded with more time between the decision and the response cue, especially when backward masking was present. Confidence in high-level tasks was immune to backward masking and benefitted from additional time. These results can be explained by a model assuming confidence heavily relies on postdecisional internal representations of visual stimuli that degrade over time, where high-level representations are more persistent.

Inferential confusion in the worldview of individuals with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): a qualitative approach

Introduction. The Inference-based Approach (IBA) is an etiologic, therapeutic research paradigm regarding inferential confusion (IC) as an exclusive metacognitive process of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). IC is the rational tendency of individuals with OCD to underrate abstract data and personal experiences and overrate hypothetical possibilities. IC therefore fosters uncertainty and facilitates the justification of obsessive constructs. IBA has noted that qualitative research on IC and the exploration of IC in non-OCD cognitive constructs are required to refine cognitive and therapeutic OCD models. This could help clarify whether OCD treatment by IBA is overlooking non-obsessive IC habits which, if left untreated, could compromise treatment success. Objective. To identify the possible influence of IC on non-obsessive, cognitive worldview constructs of individuals with OCD and to compare these constructs with those of individuals without OCD. Method. Twenty-five semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted, 15 with individuals with OCD and 10 with a comparison group without OCD or OCD symptoms. Data were collected and analyzed using Grounded Theory methodology. Results. IC was identified in the non-obsessive cognitive worldview constructs of every participant with OCD. IC was not identified in the comparative group. Discussion and conclusion. The results suggest that IC affects the rational composition of non-obsessive cognitive worldview constructs of individuals with OCD. The implications this could have for the cognitive and therapeutic models of OCD are discussed.

Metacognition in mathematics education: From academic chronicle to future research scenario–A bibliometric analysis with the Scopus database

Originally introduced by psychologists, metacognition has attracted considerable interest within academic spheres and has transformed into a significant research focal point in the field of mathematics education, commonly denoted as ‘mathematical metacognition.’ This investigation constitutes the primary endeavor to comprehensively examine all publications within the Scopus database related to metacognition in mathematics education (MiME). The data encompasses a total of 288 documents, authored by 653 individuals hailing from 58 different countries and territories and disseminated across 162 diverse sources. Notably, this examination delineates two distinct developmental phases, with a particularly pronounced surge in publications emerging from the year 2016 onward. Although Asia has two representatives in the top-10 in terms of number of publications (China and Indonesia), authors from developed countries have made significant contributions to research on MiME, especially the United States, Germany, Turkey, and Belgium. Among the 15 most influential academic journals, merely two pertain to the domain of mathematics education, whereas the majority belong to the disciplines of psychology and social sciences (educational science). The main research directions that have been pointed out are adults’ metacognitive abilities, considering gender differences and problem-solving abilities; metacognition and the ability to learn mathematical concepts (more recently arithmetic concepts); control metacognitive processes and students’ academic achievement. Early-career researchers as well as interested scholars can find important scholars, documents, and research directions on this topic to refer to for their research activities.

Learning Strategies: A Resource for Clinical Neuropsychopedagogical Intervention

Learning strategies can be understood as deliberate processes aimed at achieving a certain level of learning effectively. The objective is to explore the application of learning strategies as a tool in neuropsychopedagogical intervention within a clinical setting, particularly in the context of teaching or stimulating brain functions where the patient can contemplate their own mental processes. Our aim is to present an intervention that enhances learning opportunities, thus broadening cognitive assumptions. This research contributes knowledge about cognitive and metacognitive processes related to learning strategies within the framework of learning how to learn, suggesting that the Neuropsychopedagogue, informed by neuroscience, selects appropriate stimuli to facilitate learning and evaluates the effectiveness of this process. The majority of studies focused on Neuropsychopedagogy and specific functions such as attention, memory, and executive functions. Another notable observation was the lack of studies utilizing or developing an instrument to assess learning strategies in a clinical-individual context, with the emphasis primarily on studies within an institutional-collective context. Hence, it can be concluded that learning strategies hold promise for enhancing learning and aiding in the organization and utilization of various information from our environment, thereby justifying their classification as a tool for clinical neuropsychopedagogical intervention. This comprehensive understanding underscores the significance of integrating diverse strategies into clinical practice, ensuring tailored interventions that address individual learning needs effectively.

An agency-based model of executive and metacognitive regulation

In the context of agentive decision making and action, both executive and metacognitive processes serve self-regulatory functions—just on different hierarchical tiers. In the agency-based model proposed here executive processes monitor and control action and attention from an executive tier of operation, and metacognitive processes monitor and control those executive processes from a second-order metacognitive tier of operation-both with the function of facilitating effective and efficient behavioral decisions. Each is best conceptualized as comprising three key components: (i) what is regulated, (ii) how, via what processes, is it regulated, and (iii) where, in what cognitive workspace, is it regulated—either in individual or in shared agencies. Developmentally, evidence is presented that executive processes for regulating both individual and joint agencies emerge only after 9–12 months of age, and metacognitive processes for regulating both individual and collective agencies emerge only after 3–4 years of age. Cognitive flexibility, as an important outcome, derives from the child's attempts to metacognitively regulate differing social perspectives within shared agencies.

The Cognitive Processes of ESL Writers Responding to an Integrated Argumentative Writing Task

Integrated writing tasks, whether used for teaching or assessment, are designed to engage and gauge the actions, skills, and strategies that students need to become efficient writers able to identify, extract and synthesize information from multiple source material in their writing appropriately. Consequently, it is critical to verify that such tasks do engage the cognitive processes and strategies that theory and research indicate are essential elements of successful source use in writing. This study used a mixed methods approach to describe the cognitive processes that ESL learners engage in when responding to an integrated writing task and examine how these cognitive processes vary depending on the students’ English language proficiency (ELP). Each of 51 undergraduate ESL students at two levels of ELP (high and low) completed an integrated writing task that involved listening to a lecture, reading a passage about a related topic, and writing an argumentative essay using ideas from both sources and then responded to a questionnaire about their cognitive processes. Additionally, another eight participants were video recorded while completing the writing task and provided stimulated recalls about their writing processes immediately after completing the task. The findings reveal the various cognitive and metacognitive processes and strategies that the participants engaged and the language and discourse aspects they attended to. Additionally, participants with higher ELP tended to interact with the sources and task and to engage in planning and organizing, generating and retrieving, and revising and editing more frequently than did participants with lower ELP. The findings and their implications for the teaching and assessment of source-based writing are discussed.