The role of metacognitive experience: Can feedback training affect kindergarteners'monitoring accuracy?

This study explored the effects of metacognitive training on 6-year-old kindergarteners, focusing on (a) enhancing metacognitive monitoring accuracy through feedback, and (b) examining whether children use choice latency as a valid cue for their monitoring judgments (cue utilization). A total of 214 children were assigned to one of three groups: performance feedback, monitoring feedback, and an active control. They completed 12 training sessions and were tested before and after the training with memory learning tasks. Results showed that neither feedback type improved monitoring accuracy. However, choice latency was confirmed as a valid cue that children use in their confidence judgments. Despite repeated feedback, there was no observable integration of this feedback into future monitoring judgments. The study discusses both the theoretical and practical implications of these findings, highlighting the children's cue utilization and suggesting avenues for future research.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11409-025-09422-4.