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Multimodal Protocol for Assessing Metacognition and Self-Regulation in Adults with Learning Difficulties
Published on: September 27, 2020
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How to measure metacognition
Stephen M Fleming1, Hakwan C Lau2
1Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford Oxford, UK ; Center for Neural Science, New York University New York, NY, USA.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
|August 1, 2014
Summary
Measuring metacognition, the ability to assess cognitive processing, requires accurate methods. This study reviews bias-free signal detection and ROC analysis for quantifying metacognitive sensitivity and efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Decision Science
Background:
- Metacognition involves recognizing one's own cognitive success.
- Quantifying metacognition is crucial for understanding cognitive processes.
- Current measures often rely on accuracy-confidence correlations, susceptible to response bias.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review quantitative measures of metacognition.
- To highlight the limitations of correlation-based measures.
- To introduce bias-free alternatives from signal detection theory and ROC analysis.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on metacognition measurement.
- Analysis of signal detection theory (SDT) and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves.
- Comparison of SDT/ROC measures with probability estimation concepts (calibration, discrimination).
Main Results:
- Correlation coefficients can be influenced by response biases.
- SDT and ROC analysis offer bias-free measures of metacognitive sensitivity.
- Distinction between metacognitive bias, sensitivity, and efficiency is clarified.
Conclusions:
- Bias-free measures are superior for accurately assessing metacognition.
- Understanding metacognitive sensitivity and efficiency is key.
- These concepts raise important questions for metacognition and consciousness research.
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