Metacognitive confidence and affect - two sides of the same coin?

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Affective Science
• Decision Science

Background:

• Decision confidence is a metacognitive representation of decision accuracy.
• Affective valence (positive/negative feelings) is linked to being correct/mistaken.
• Little research has explored the relationship between affect and metacognition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if affective valence, like decision confidence, reflects the probability of a correct decision.
• To compare how accuracy, evidence, and expectancy influence both confidence and affect.
• To bridge the research gap between metacognition and affective science.

Main Methods:

• Two perceptual decision-making experiments were conducted.
• Participants provided confidence and affect ratings for their decisions.
• The relationships between decision variables (evidence, accuracy, expectancy) and metacognitive/affective ratings were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Both confidence and affect ratings were similarly sensitive to changes in accuracy, evidence, and expectancy.
• Findings suggest that affect, similar to confidence, tracks the subjective probability of decision correctness.
• Confidence and affect ratings demonstrated parallel responses to decision-making variables.

Conclusions:

• Affective valence and decision confidence serve as similar indicators of the subjective probability of being correct.
• Identified potential mechanisms underlying the parallel tracking of decision accuracy by confidence and affect.
• Advocated for greater integration of cognitive and affective research within metacognition studies for future research.