Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 20, 2026
08:06
Testing for Metacognitive Responding Using an Odor-based Delayed Match-to-Sample Test in Rats
Published on: June 18, 2018
Metacognitive awareness and adaptive recognition biases.
Diana Selmeczy1, Ian G Dobbins
1Department of Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899, USA. dselmecz@wustl.edu
Summary
Participants can improve memory performance by using reliable external recommendations, especially if they have strong metacognitive monitoring skills. Feedback did not enhance the use of these recommendations.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Memory
Background:
- Previous research focused on negative impacts of misleading external information on memory.
- The role of reliable external cues in enhancing memory judgments remains less explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if participants can leverage valid external recommendations to improve memory performance.
- To examine the influence of metacognitive monitoring and feedback on the utilization of external recommendations.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted using recognition tests with varying levels of material encoding.
- Participants received explicit external recommendations (e.g., "Likely Old/New") with different validity rates (65%-85%).
- Metacognitive monitoring ability was assessed in the absence of recommendations, and performance feedback was provided in some conditions.
Main Results:
- External recommendations significantly improved discrimination performance compared to conditions without recommendations.
- The benefit of recommendations was moderated by participants' metacognitive monitoring ability.
- Corrective feedback did not enhance participants' ability to effectively use external recommendations.
Conclusions:
- Individuals can enhance memory judgments by incorporating reliable external recommendations.
- The effectiveness of external recommendations relies on an individual's metacognitive sensitivity to their own memory signals.
- Metacognitive monitoring in recognition tasks is not readily improved through corrective feedback.
More Related Videos
12:55Multimodal Protocol for Assessing Metacognition and Self-Regulation in Adults with Learning Difficulties
Published on: September 27, 2020
06:11High-definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex to Enhance Metacognitive Sensitivity
Published on: September 26, 2025
Related Concept Videos
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...
01:25Motivational Bias
Cognitive bias results from limitations in thinking and information processing, leading to systematic errors in judgment. Conversely, motivational bias stems from personal desires or emotions, causing distortions in perception to align with self-interest. Motivational bias influences how individuals perceive and attribute causes to events, often shaped by personal needs, goals, and self-esteem preservation. This bias can distort judgment, leading to inaccurate assessments of success, failure,...
01:29Self-Serving Bias
Self-serving bias is a cognitive phenomenon in which individuals attribute positive outcomes to internal factors such as their abilities, intelligence, or effort while attributing negative outcomes to external circumstances. This cognitive distortion helps maintain self-esteem but can also impede objective self-assessment.Theoretical Explanations of Self-Serving BiasTwo primary theories explain the self-serving bias: the cognitive explanation and the motivational explanation.The cognitive...
01:12Hindsight Biases
Hindsight bias leads you to believe that the event you just experienced was predictable, even though it really wasn’t. In other words, you knew all along that things would turn out the way they did. Can you relate this to the phrase "Hindsight is 20/20" now?
01:21Self-Awareness and Its Effects
Self-awareness is a psychological state in which the individual becomes the focal point of their attention. This inward focus transforms the self into an object of contemplation and assessment, influencing how individuals perceive their actions and their alignment with personal and societal standards.Triggers and Contexts for Self-AwarenessSelf-awareness can be activated by external stimuli that make individuals visually or audibly aware of themselves, such as mirrors, cameras, or recordings.
01:19High-Level and Low-Level Awareness
Controlled processes in human consciousness represent high-alert mental states where individuals deliberately focus their attention on achieving specific goals. Controlled processes can be seen in situations like mastering new technology, where a person might become so absorbed that they ignore surrounding distractions. Such processes involve selective attention, requiring one to concentrate on particular elements of experience while disregarding others. These are governed by executive...