Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Metacognition01:26

Metacognition

1.2K
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...
1.2K
Cognitive Learning01:21

Cognitive Learning

1.6K
Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
1.6K
Counterfactual Thinking01:19

Counterfactual Thinking

432
Counterfactual thinking is a cognitive process wherein individuals mentally reconstruct alternative versions of past events, often beginning with “what if” or “if only.” This reflective mechanism plays a significant role in shaping emotional experiences and guiding future behavior. Though typically triggered by unfavorable or unexpected outcomes, counterfactual thinking can also emerge in mundane, everyday decisions and experiences, revealing its deep entrenchment in...
432
Cognitivism01:17

Cognitivism

2.9K
Cognitive psychology emerged as a significant field in the mid-20th century. It focused on understanding humans' internal mental processes. This approach emphasizes how people perceive, remember, think, and solve problems—elements critical to human cognition.
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process...
2.9K
Cognitive Development During Adulthood01:30

Cognitive Development During Adulthood

1.4K
Cognitive development continues throughout adulthood, undergoing significant shifts across early, middle, and late stages. Individual transition occurs from adolescent idealism to pragmatic and adaptable thinking in early adulthood. During this period, individuals learn to integrate personal beliefs with the recognition that other perspectives are equally valid. Exposure to the complexities of modern society, diverse experiences, and higher education contribute to this adaptive thought process,...
1.4K
The Influence of Cognition on Affect01:29

The Influence of Cognition on Affect

321
Cognition plays a pivotal role in shaping emotional experiences, as demonstrated by Schachter and Singer’s two-factor theory of emotion. According to this model, emotion arises from a combination of physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation. The body’s physiological response to stimuli is ambiguous and only gains emotional significance through cognitive labeling. For instance, an increased heart rate and adrenaline surge while standing near an attractive person may be...
321

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Intimation as a potentially useful subjective human Experience: Insights from cognitive psychology 100 years following Wallas's (1926) The Art of thought.

Consciousness and cognition·2026
Same author

Both emotional and neutral contexts increase feeling of knowing judgments despite poorer memory.

Memory (Hove, England)·2025
Same author

The Effect of Sleep Loss on Retrospective Metacognitive Judgements Across Five Cognitive Tests.

Journal of sleep research·2025
Same author

Tip-of-the-Tongue and Feeling-of-Knowing Experiences Enhance Metacognitive Sensitivity of Confidence Evaluation of Semantic Memory.

Journal of cognition·2025
Same author

Scholarship and discovery in memory and cognition research.

Memory & cognition·2024
Same author

The relation of subjective experience to cognitive processing.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2023

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 29, 2026

High-definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex to Enhance Metacognitive Sensitivity
06:11

High-definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex to Enhance Metacognitive Sensitivity

Published on: September 26, 2025

1.2K

Metacognition does not imply self-reflection, but it does imply function.

Megan L Hoffman1, Bennett L Schwartz2

  • 1Department of Psychology.

Journal of Comparative Psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983)
|May 29, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Metacognition, the ability to think about thinking, may not require self-reflection in humans. This challenges expectations for animal metacognition, suggesting a focus on ecological relevance instead.

More Related Videos

Multimodal Protocol for Assessing Metacognition and Self-Regulation in Adults with Learning Difficulties
12:55

Multimodal Protocol for Assessing Metacognition and Self-Regulation in Adults with Learning Difficulties

Published on: September 27, 2020

7.6K
Testing for Metacognitive Responding Using an Odor-based Delayed Match-to-Sample Test in Rats
08:06

Testing for Metacognitive Responding Using an Odor-based Delayed Match-to-Sample Test in Rats

Published on: June 18, 2018

9.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 29, 2026

High-definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex to Enhance Metacognitive Sensitivity
06:11

High-definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex to Enhance Metacognitive Sensitivity

Published on: September 26, 2025

1.2K
Multimodal Protocol for Assessing Metacognition and Self-Regulation in Adults with Learning Difficulties
12:55

Multimodal Protocol for Assessing Metacognition and Self-Regulation in Adults with Learning Difficulties

Published on: September 27, 2020

7.6K
Testing for Metacognitive Responding Using an Odor-based Delayed Match-to-Sample Test in Rats
08:06

Testing for Metacognitive Responding Using an Odor-based Delayed Match-to-Sample Test in Rats

Published on: June 18, 2018

9.9K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Animal Behavior
  • Evolutionary Psychology

Background:

  • Metacognition is often linked to self-reflection in humans.
  • The necessity of self-reflection for metacognition remains debated.
  • This raises questions about whether animal metacognition requires similar self-reflective processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between self-reflection and metacognition.
  • To explore alternative frameworks for understanding metacognition in non-human animals.
  • To examine the ecological and evolutionary relevance of metacognition in animals.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review and conceptual analysis of metacognition.
  • Comparative analysis of cognitive processes in humans and animals.
  • Theoretical framework development for animal metacognition.

Main Results:

  • Evidence suggests human metacognition may not always involve explicit self-reflection.
  • A strict self-reflection requirement for metacognition is difficult to justify, even in humans.
  • Ecological and evolutionary perspectives offer a promising avenue for studying animal metacognition.

Conclusions:

  • Self-reflection may not be a prerequisite for metacognition.
  • Future research on animal metacognition should consider ecological and evolutionary factors.
  • Rethinking the definition of metacognition is crucial for cross-species comparisons.