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Subjective learning discounts test type: evidence from an associative learning and transfer task.
Dayna R Touron1, Christopher Hertzog, James Z Speagle
1The University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC 27402-6170, USA. d_touron@uncg.edu
Experimental Psychology
|February 25, 2010
Summary
Metacognitive judgments, or judgments of learning (JOLs), differ based on memory test format. Underconfidence increases with recall practice but decreases with recognition practice.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Metacognition Research
- Memory Studies
Background:
- Metacognition involves monitoring and controlling one's own cognitive processes.
- Understanding metacognitive judgments is crucial for effective learning strategies.
- The influence of memory test format on metacognitive accuracy remains an area of active investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how memory test format and test type transfer impact metacognitive judgments.
- To examine the dynamics of metacognitive judgments across different study-test phases.
- To determine if metacognitive predictions accurately anticipate performance changes after test type transfer.
Main Methods:
- Participants engaged in two study-test phases using paired-associates learning.
- Four experimental conditions were employed: recognition then recall, recall then recognition, recognition throughout, and recall throughout.
- Metacognitive judgments, including global judgments and judgments of learning (JOLs), were collected at multiple time points (prestudy, poststudy, posttest).
Main Results:
- Metacognitive judgment accuracy was found to vary significantly depending on the memory test type.
- An 'underconfidence-with-practice' effect was observed, where underconfidence in JOLs and global predictions increased with recall practice.
- Conversely, underconfidence decreased with recognition practice.
- Pretest judgments did not fully anticipate subsequent performance changes when the test type was transferred between study-test phases.
Conclusions:
- The format of memory testing critically influences the accuracy of metacognitive judgments.
- Recall practice can lead to increased underconfidence in metacognitive assessments, while recognition practice reduces it.
- Learners may not accurately predict performance shifts resulting from changes in testing methods, highlighting potential discrepancies between metacognitive awareness and actual learning dynamics.
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