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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 9, 2025

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

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

Published on: June 18, 2018

When does metacognition evolve in the opt-out paradigm?

Robin Watson^1,2,3

¹School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, 900 South Cady Mall, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA. robin.o.watson@outlook.com.

Animal Cognition

|October 22, 2024

Summary

Metacognition, or awareness of one's knowledge, evolved in animals under specific conditions. It arises in uncertain environments or when low success rates hide high rewards, aiding decision-making.

Keywords:

Evolution of metacognition Evolutionary model Opt-out paradigm Theory of mind Uncertainty monitoring

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The Attentional Set Shifting Task: A Measure of Cognitive Flexibility in Mice

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 9, 2025

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

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

Published on: June 18, 2018

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

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

Published on: September 27, 2020

The Attentional Set Shifting Task: A Measure of Cognitive Flexibility in Mice

The Attentional Set Shifting Task: A Measure of Cognitive Flexibility in Mice

Published on: February 4, 2015

Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Animal cognition
Behavioral ecology

Background:

Metacognition (awareness of one's knowledge) is crucial in humans but its evolutionary origins in animals remain unclear.
Existing research shows evidence of metacognitive judgments in various species, yet the evolutionary drivers are seldom explored.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the evolutionary pressures favoring metacognition in non-human animals.
To model the conditions under which metacognition evolves using the opt-out paradigm.

Main Methods:

Developed an evolutionary model based on the opt-out paradigm, where animals choose between a guaranteed payoff or a risky task with a higher reward.
Simulated the co-evolution of bias and metacognition, varying task reward, success probability, success variability, and the cost of metacognition.

Main Results:

Metacognition evolves in two key scenarios: high environmental variability in task success and low mean success coupled with high rewards.
Identified conditions where metacognition facilitates the exploitation of high-value opportunities that are otherwise difficult to access.

Conclusions:

Evolutionary uncertainty is a significant factor in the development of metacognition.
Metacognition can also evolve as a strategy to identify and capitalize on rare, high-reward opportunities, even with low overall success probabilities.