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From Uncertainty to Performance Optimization: Longitudinal Insights Into Metacognitive Development
Qianqian Wan1, Olivera Savic1,2, Mengcun Gao1
1The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Child Development
|August 19, 2025
Summary
Children develop metacognitive monitoring and control between ages four and six. Early monitoring skills predict later control, shifting decision-making from uncertainty to performance optimization.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Development
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Metacognition, encompassing monitoring and control, is crucial for cognitive development.
- Understanding the developmental trajectory of metacognition in early childhood is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental progression of metacognitive monitoring and control in children aged four to six.
- To compare children's metacognitive abilities with those of adults.
- To examine the relationship between metacognitive monitoring and control.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study design tracking children (N=148) aged 4-6 years.
- Assessment of metacognitive monitoring and control via decision-making tasks with experimenter-elicited and self-generated responses.
- Comparison with adult participants (N=26).
Main Results:
- Children showed reliable task monitoring by age five and performance monitoring by age six (on self-generated measures).
- Children's decision-making shifted from uncertainty-driven to performance-optimizing patterns around age six.
- Cross-lagged panel analysis indicated that early monitoring abilities predicted subsequent control abilities.
Conclusions:
- Metacognitive development in children involves a transition from uncertainty-based to performance-oriented decision-making.
- Early metacognitive monitoring abilities are foundational for the development of metacognitive control.
- Findings support the monitoring-drives-control theory of metacognitive development.
Keywords:
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