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A brief questionnaire on metacognition: psychometric properties
Verena Klusmann1, Andrea Evers, Ralf Schwarzer
1Department of Psychiatry, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany. verena.klusmann@charite.de
Aging & Mental Health
|June 29, 2011
Summary
A new 9-item questionnaire effectively assesses metacognition, including metamemory and metaconcentration, in older adults. This brief tool is valuable for understanding cognitive functioning and maintaining independence in aging research.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Existing cognitive functioning questionnaires are often lengthy or narrowly focused on memory.
- There is a need for brief, comprehensive measures of metacognition in older adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a brief 9-item questionnaire assessing metacognition.
- To evaluate the questionnaire's utility in measuring metamemory and metaconcentration.
Main Methods:
- A 9-item questionnaire with metamemory and metaconcentration subscales was administered to 228 healthy women aged 70-93.
- Data were collected via two face-to-face interviews over 6 months.
Main Results:
- The questionnaire demonstrated factorial validity, with subscales for metamemory and metaconcentration.
- Metacognition, not objective cognitive performance, significantly predicted self-reported everyday functioning.
- The instrument showed high latent trait variance.
Conclusions:
- The developed questionnaire is a brief and practical tool for assessing metacognition in older adults.
- Metacognition is crucial for sustained independence in aging.
- The questionnaire is suitable for research on aging processes and cognitive status.
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