Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 31, 2026
08:06
Testing for Metacognitive Responding Using an Odor-based Delayed Match-to-Sample Test in Rats
Published on: June 18, 2018
Metamemory for faces, names, and common nouns
Nicholas N Watier1, Charles A Collin
1School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Vanier Hall room 3091, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5. nwati078@uottawa.ca
Acta Psychologica
|June 21, 2011
Summary
People can accurately monitor their memory for face-name associations. Metamemory performance for faces and names is similar, though noun recall is more accurate for retrospective monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Memory
Background:
- Metacognition, the ability to reflect on one's own cognitive processes, plays a crucial role in memory.
- Understanding metacognitive monitoring accuracy in face-name learning is essential for cognitive research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the metacognitive monitoring performance during face-name association learning.
- To provide a comprehensive profile of monitoring accuracy for both encoding and retrieval phases.
Main Methods:
- Participants made four types of monitoring judgments during the encoding and retrieval of novel face-name associations.
- Metamemory performance was compared between face targets and name targets.
- A preliminary comparison of metamemory performance was conducted between face-name pairs and noun-noun pairs.
Main Results:
- Relative accuracy for monitoring judgments was significantly above chance for both face and name targets.
- Metamemory performance was comparable between faces and names, despite names being harder to recognize.
- Retrospective monitoring accuracy was superior for noun targets compared to face or name targets.
Conclusions:
- Individuals demonstrate above-chance accuracy in monitoring their memory for face-name associations.
- While prospective monitoring accuracy is stable across stimulus categories, retrospective monitoring is more precise for nouns than for faces or names.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:23Mnemonic Devices
Mnemonic devices are cognitive tools that facilitate memory retention by linking new information to familiar patterns or organizational strategies. These techniques are beneficial for remembering complex or lengthy sets of information by simplifying and structuring them in easily retrievable ways.
Acronyms
Acronyms are created by using the initial letters of a series of words to form a new word or phrase. This approach condenses complex information into a single, memorable entity. For example,...
Acronyms
Acronyms are created by using the initial letters of a series of words to form a new word or phrase. This approach condenses complex information into a single, memorable entity. For example,...
01:24Prosopagnosia
Prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, is the inability to recognize faces. In severe cases, individuals with prosopagnosia may not recognize close family members, including parents and spouses, by their faces. For instance, someone with prosopagnosia might walk past their child in a crowd, only realizing their mistake upon noticing their child's distinctive backpack or favorite jacket. Prosopagnosia specifically impairs facial recognition, while the recognition of other objects or...
01:27Explicit Memories
Explicit memories, also known as declarative memories, are consciously remembered, recalled, and reported. Studying for a chemistry exam involves material that will become part of explicit memory. There are two types of explicit memory: episodic and semantic.
Episodic memory contains information about personally experienced events and is reported as a story. An example of episodic memory is recalling a birthday celebration. This type of memory includes the what, where, and when of an event, as...
Episodic memory contains information about personally experienced events and is reported as a story. An example of episodic memory is recalling a birthday celebration. This type of memory includes the what, where, and when of an event, as...
01:26Metacognition
Metacognition is a conscious process where individuals are aware of their cognitive and executive processes, such as planning before solving a problem or self-monitoring during reading. For instance, a writer may need help with composing a piece. The situation involves a writer who is working on a piece of writing, but while doing so, they realize that something is missing. They notice that their characters lack depth or details. This realization occurs because the writer is reflecting on their...
01:21Association Areas of the Cortex
Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
01:19Encoding
Information enters the brain through encoding, which is the input of information into the memory system. Once sensory information is received from the environment, the brain labels or codes it. The information is then organized with similar information and connected to existing concepts. Encoding occurs through automatic processing and effortful processing.
Automatic processing involves the encoding of details like time, space, frequency, and the meaning of words, usually done without conscious...
Automatic processing involves the encoding of details like time, space, frequency, and the meaning of words, usually done without conscious...