Cognitive Psychology Commons^™

Designing Visible Thinking: A Developmental Approach To Metacognitive Teaching Practices, Peggy-Sue Westphal

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

This synthesis paper examines how metacognitive thinking develops through intentional, sequenced teaching practices that deepen students’ cognitive engagement. Drawing on research, personal inquiry, and instructional design, it demonstrates how early and sustained metacognitive instruction strengthens learners’ reasoning, self-regulation, and awareness of their own cognitive process. The analysis centers on Opportunities to Respond (OTR), a metacognitive strategy highlighted in the institute of Educational Sciences’ Teacher-Delivered Behavioral Interventions, and compares this model the Know, Want to Know, Learned (KWL) framework and the Habits of Mind behaviors. Together, these approaches illustrate a developmental progression in which learners first notice their thinking, then organize …

From Process Retrieval To Understanding: A Look Into Curiosity And Metacognition In My Physics Classrooms, Nahuel Acosta Burroso

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

In the modern high school physics classroom, the rapid proliferation of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has created a unique educational challenge. While these tools can solve complex problems quickly, they often lead to cognitive offloading, where students bypass the internal dialogue and deep thinking needed for true understanding. This project follows an action research journey that shifts the focus from restricting technology to cultivating curiosity and metacognition. I define curiosity as the gap identifier that appears when a student realizes they do not know something, while metacognition acts as the navigator that helps them decide what to do next. By …

Revisiting The Link Between Metacognition And Social Cognition, Mia I. Gaffoglio, Jojo Widi, Aaron Schurger

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Research has suggested that the ability to think about our own thinking (metacognition) and the ability to understand others’ mental states (mindreading) may rely on the same cognitive resources. A study by Nicholson and colleagues (2021) found that people’s metacognitive accuracy decreased when they performed a mind-reading task at the same time, implying that the two processes interfered with each other. However, that conclusion is dependent on the assumption that the mind-reading task and a control task were equally difficult. If the mind-reading task was more difficult, having a lower performance could reflect general task difficulty rather than shared cognitive …

Ctrl + Alt + Inner Speech: A Verbal–Cognitive Scaffold (Vcs) Model Of Pathways To Computational Thinking, Daisuke Akiba

Publications and Research

This theoretical paper introduces the Verbal–Cognitive Scaffold (VCS) Model, a cognitively inclusive framework which proposes the cognitive architectures underlying computational thinking (CT). Moving beyond monolithic theories of cognition (e.g., executive-function and metacognitive control models), the VCS Model posits inner speech (InSp) as the predominant cognitive pathway supporting CT operations in neurotypical populations. Synthesizing interdisciplinary scholarship across cognitive science, computational theory, neurodiversity research, and others, this framework articulates distinct mechanisms through which InSp supports CT. The model specifies four primary pathways linking InSp to CT components: verbal working memory supporting decomposition, symbolic representation facilitating pattern recognition and abstraction, sequential processing enabling …

Metacognition, Erika Fulton, Tina Miyake

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Metacognition is thinking about cognition or thinking about thinking. It includes what you know about how your own cognition and cognition in general work. Metacognition also involves the judgments we make about our cognition and how accurate those judgments are. Metamemory and metacomprehension are the most studied areas of metacognition and refer to the judgments we make about our memory and about our reading comprehension, respectively.

Cultural Learning Of Metacognition: Evidence From Blind Individuals, Marissa Renee Bamberger, Lindsay N. Harris

CISLL Publications

The cultural origins hypothesis posits conscious metacognitive abilities in humans are acquired through cultural selection facilitated by cultural learning. Interpersonal broadcasting, much of which is nonverbal, is hypothesized to be one conduit of cultural learning. Thus, individuals with no or limited access to nonverbal information, such as blind persons, should have metacognitive abilities different from those of the larger culture. To test this prediction, we asked blind (n = 23) and sighted (n = 20) adults to recall the modality (Spoken or Written) of words whose definitions they had learned, and to indicate their degree of confidence in …

Effect Of Epistemic Cognition And Self-Regulation On The Evaluation Of Online Information, Devin T. Foschi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

While research has shown that epistemic cognition plays an important role in self-regulation, the way in which it does so in online contexts needs further research. The objective of this dissertation was to examine the relationship between Internet-specific epistemic cognition and Internet-specific self-regulated learning, and to use a mixed-methods approach in order to expand upon the way learners undergo the evaluation of information in online spaces beyond the traditional method of only using self-report measures and other common quantitative techniques. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, Phase 1 (N = 117) used quantitative methods to first look at the relationship …

Emotional And Metacognitive Impacts Of A Human Anatomy Course Utilizing Three-Dimensional Learning Modalities, Shawn M. Magrum

Theses & Dissertations

A high school human anatomy course was designed to integrate three-dimensional learning modalities through the use of three-dimensional visualization technology, augmented reality, and whole-body donors (cadaveric specimens), and customized 3D digital models were created to support student learning. The course was organized so that each class meeting fell into one of six unique learning session types: lectures, augmented reality labs, gross anatomy (cadaveric) labs, content application (active learning) sessions, review sessions, and examination sessions.

An interval scale using ten emoji, each associated with a particular emotional valence (i.e., pleasantness) level, was developed and integrated into the course to track students’ …

What Are We Most Curious About? Understanding The Relationship Between Curiosity And Marginal Knowledge, Alexis Lee

CMC Senior Theses

There are several competing theories about the relationship between curiosity and metacognitive judgment, or one’s assessment of their own knowledge. Novelty theories say that curiosity is highest for wholly unknown information; complexity theories say that curiosity is highest for moderately unknown information; and the Region of Proximal Learning (RPL) theory says that curiosity is highest for almost-known information. The present study aimed to address how curiosity differs within marginal knowledge (MK), memory content that is available but not accessible, across two experiments. In both experiments, participants responded to 100 short-answer general knowledge questions, selecting a phenomenological category to represent their …

Potentiating Effects Of Interim Tests And Metacognitive Judgments On Future Learning, Hunter Ray Vannaman

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Interpolated tests benefit retention of both tested material and material learned afterward. One proposed mechanism for the potentiating effect of testing involves the learner gleaning metacognitive information from tests regarding how well the material is being learned, curbing overconfidence and influencing future encoding strategies. The current study investigated whether making judgments of learning (JOLs) may similarly induce metacognitive introspection and benefit learning. An online sample of 464 adults from the United States was randomly assigned to one of three interim task conditions and one of three JOL conditions that determined how they would interact with each of the four text …

Do I Listen To You, Or Do I Listen To Me? An Individual Difference Investigation Into Advice Utilization, Danielle Nicole Sanchez-Combs

Psychology ETDs

This work addresses three fundamental questions. First, can the source of the advice (crowd or single advisor) be leveraged to enhance advice use? Second, does high skill and high metacognitive ability predict greater advice use or are these individuals also blind to the need for advice? Finally, can personality, performance, and pre-advice confidence factors be used to profile those most likely to benefit from advice? Results indicated surprisingly low advice taking rates (~25% to ~26%) from both advisors, despite the advice being 100% accurate. Advice taking was even lower when individuals were in a high-confidence state, with high-skilled …

Building Resilience With Creativity: A Reflective Card Deck Prototype, Lakshmi Sithambaram

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

The increasing complexity and adversity in today's world emphasize the need for resilience as a critical skill to navigate these challenges. The World Economic Forum identifies resilience, stress tolerance, and flexibility as essential skills for thriving in the 21st century. But how can we intentionally develop resilience? Through this project, I explore the relationship between creativity and resilience and how creativity skills can be deliberately cultivated to build resilience. To achieve this, I developed a prototype of a reflective card deck that offers a unique approach to help individuals gain knowledge, make connections, explore their relationship with the skill, and …

Interactions In The Mind: Examining Metacognition's Role In Entrepreneurial Performance, John Sebesta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To better understand the mental processes that shape entrepreneurial performance, this dissertation examines the moderating effect of metacognitive abilities on the relationship between cognitive style and entrepreneurial alertness on performance at the opportunity identification and planning stages of the entrepreneurial journey. Prior research identifies these factors as components of an entrepreneurial mindset. However, the present research develops and examines theoretically driven predictions regarding how the factors interact. Using a sample of seventy teams participating in a business plan competition enables performance evaluation at these early steps in the entrepreneurship process. The hypotheses were not supported, but post hoc analyses indicate …

Differences In Elementary Students’ Self-Regulated Processes For Computer Versus Printed Reading Assignments, Katerina Sergi, Anastasia Elder, Tianlan Wei, Kristin H. Javorsky, Jianzhong Xu

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

The purpose of this study was to investigate metacognitive self-regulated learning (SRL) differences in computer- and paper-based reading assignments across elementary students. Students in two after-school programs in a southeastern U.S. public school district were recruited. The final sample consisted of 48 students in Grades 2–5 who participated in two counterbalanced conditions involving a computer- and a paper-based reading assignment. The study employed a 2 x 4 (condition-by-grade) mixed-model analysis of variance (ANOVA) and followup tests to examine metacognitive SRL differences between conditions and grades. The results indicate that elementary students used various metacognitive SRL skills across both conditions. The …

Thinking About Making A Connection: Exploring The Role Of Metacognition In Recognition Memory For Associative Information, Mario E. Doyle

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In a set of six experiments, the relation between metacognition and associative memory was explored. The purpose was to determine whether the metacognitive behaviors that are used with item memory are also used with associative memory. Different memory systems have separate underlying processes which can cause mnemonic strategies to only be useful for some types of memory. People use metacognition to monitor and control their memory; however, it is uncertain whether metacognitive monitoring and control are the same for different types of memory. The research presented in this dissertation demonstrates the similarities and differences between metacognitive behavior for item and …

Designing A Multiple Submission Policy Supporting Mastery Learning For A Design Thinking Class In A Purely Online Learning Environment, Marianne Kayle Amurao, Joseph Benjamin R. Ilagan

Quantitative Methods and Information Technology Faculty Publications

Mastery learning is defined as an approach where students are equipped with complex skills required in the VUCA world instead of simple skills that only apply to traditional classrooms. One way to encourage mastery learning in the classroom is through repeated assessment, specifically formative ones. In this paper, we describe our experience in designing a multiple submission policy to support mastery learning for a design thinking class taught purely online amidst lockdowns due to COVID. The transition to online learning and today’s context presented an opportunity to target mastery learning instead of traditional learning outcomes, which we achieved in two …

Rethinking Thinking About Thinking: Against A Pedagogical Imperative To Cultivate Metacognitive Skills, Lauren R. Alpert

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In summaries of “best practices” for pedagogy, one typically encounters enthusiastic advocacy for metacognition. Some researchers assert that the body of evidence supplied by decades of education studies indicates a clear pedagogical imperative: that if one wants their students to learn well, one must implement teaching practices that cultivate students’ metacognitive skills.

In this dissertation, I counter that education research does not impose such a mandate upon instructors. We lack sufficient and reliable evidence from studies that use the appropriate research design to validate the efficacy of metacognitive skill-building interventions (not just evaluate their relationship to learning outcomes). I argue …

Memory For A Familiar And Unfamiliar University Logo, Alicia M. Fels

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Prior research found that memory is fallible and that memory for common objects is poorly encoded (Brady et al., 2008; Nickerson & Adams, 1979). Participants studied one of the logos and recalled both the familiar and unfamiliar logos. Confidence judgments were collected at pre- and post-recall for both logos. Results suggest that recall changed by study condition and logo type, studying before recall, for both the familiar and the unfamiliar logo, improved recall scores. The results also suggest that confidence judgments changed depending on the logo familiarity and time. Confidence decreased from pre- to post-recall for the familiar logo in …

Metacognitive Function In Moderate To Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, Grace Amadon

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an injury to the brain caused by a bump, blow, jolt to the head. Individuals with TBI demonstrate decreased awareness of their own potential deficits and functional abilities. These deficits have critical implications for recovery as self-awareness is important for those recovering from TBI in the implementation and engagement of rehabilitative processes after TBI. The following study analyzed 18 individuals with TBI approximately 11 years post injury to document metacognitive functioning after injury. Participants completed a metacognitive working-memory paradigm where they made judgements of their future and past performance on identifying a target shape and …

Fundamental Principles Of Metacognition: A Qualitative Study Of Metacognition, Pedagogy And Transformation, Philip Hulbig

Educational Studies Dissertations

This study investigated the transformative quality of a metacognitive education. It examined a transformative metacognitive education from both the subjective personal perspective of the student who has gone through the process of transformation and the more objective pedagogical perspective of the professors who work to bring forth such transformational experiences in their students. Through interview and analysis these perspectives were integrated to produce a pedagogical theoretical framework derived from experience and grounded in observations about metacognition across various scientific disciplines. The personal elements of metacognition that promote educational transformation from within the students were contrasted with the pedagogical approaches of …

Applying A Metacognitive Framework In The Neuropsychological Assessment Of Subjective Cognitive Decline And Mild Cognitive Impairment, Susan Y. Chi

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The characterization of the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a topic of major research interest because it is critical for early diagnosis and emerging interventions. Metamemory, or knowledge about memory, including awareness of one’s own memory functions, has been investigated in AD especially in relation to how impairment in memory and executive functions contribute to unawareness of cognitive deficits, termed anosognosia. Previous research, however, has not systematically investigated metamemory functioning in older adults with prodromal dementia conditions. Therefore, we investigated metamemory accuracy in cognitively healthy older adults (HC) and those with subjective cognitive decline but intact neuropsychological test …

Investigating Metacognitive Fluency As A Judgment Cue In Choice Overload, Michael R. Ho

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Choice overload describes the finding that individuals report being less satisfied and defer choice more often when choosing from larger rather than smaller choice sets. Researchers have proposed various theoretical models to account for this phenomenon; however, these models have yielded conflicting results. Critically, little research has sought to identify the cognitive mechanism underlying choice overload. The present study reviews models of choice overload and offers a more parsimonious account of choice overload. More specifically, metacognitive fluency, or the subjective interpretation of choice difficulty, plays a critical role during choice and may account for conflicting results in current choice overload …

Decisions, Decisions: Review Of Mindware: Tools For Smart Thinking By Richard E. Nisbett, Anne Kelly

Numeracy

Richard Nisbett. 2015. Mindware: Tools for Smart Thinking. (New York, NY: Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux). 336 pp. ISBN: 9780374536244.

Social psychologist Richard E. Nisbett provides help in identifying and overcoming faulty cognitive strategies and replacing them with more accurate heuristics. To do so, Nisbett draws from statistics, correlation, experiments, differences in Western and Eastern thought, and, especially, social influence.

Neurological Correlates Of The Dunning-Kruger Effect, Alana Lauren Muller

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a metacognitive phenomenon in which individuals who perform poorly on a task believe they performed well, whereas individuals who performed very well believe their performance was only average. To date, this effect has only been investigated in the context of performance on mathematical, logical, or lexical tasks, but has yet to be explored for its generalizability in episodic memory task performance. We used a novel method to elicit the Dunning-Kruger Effect via a memory test of item and source recognition confidence. Participants studied 4 lists of words and were asked to make a simple decision about …

Emotion And Metacognitive Monitoring: The Role Of Emotion In The Development Of Learning Beliefs, Robert Craig Hoy

Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

Educators have daily experience with how students' emotional states influence their behaviors and levels of motivation. What is more poorly understood and even counterintuitive in effect is the subtler role of emotion in the role of metacognitive monitoring in the form of learning belief development. The research driving current understanding in this area is limited and fragmented across disciplines. The purpose of the current quantitative, cross-sectional study was to contribute to our understanding of the role that emotion plays in metacognitive monitoring. The study used self-report measures given before and after a video-based learning task. Metrics included measures of emotional …

Metacognitive Theories Revisited, David Moshman

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

“Metacognitive theories,” an article Gregg Schraw and I published in Educational Psychology Review in 1995, has been cited in over a thousand scholarly publications. In this follow-up, dedicated to Gregg and written after his recent death, I provide a brief overview of our 1995 article and then reflect on it in four ways. First, I consider the development of the concept of metacognition prior to 1995, including its emergence and use in previous writings by each co-author. Then, I turn to the collaboration itself, including the interplay of complementary conceptions and the construction of new ideas. Third, I consider the …

Exploring Metacognition, Multitasking And Test Performance In A Lecture Context, Fatma Arslantas

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Multitasking has become more prevalent with recent advancements in technology (Judd, 2014; Junco & Cotten, 2012). Many self-report studies, and the few available experimental manipulations, consistently indicate that media multitasking is related to decrements in learning. The present study extends the current literature by explicitly documenting students’ responses to media-based interruptions to learning. The current study also documents other behaviours students engage in that may or may not be related to multitasking when technology is available during lectures. In addition, the study explores the role of metacognition as a contributor to learning in a media-rich educational setting. In total, 118 …

Usability Is Not Just Usability: Discovering The Strategies Used By Non-Experts In Making Usability Predictions, Michelle A. Sublette

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Much of the research on metacognition in human factors has focused on prescriptive, normative strategy training. That is, many researchers have concentrated their efforts on finding ways to improve system users’ prediction, planning, monitoring and evaluation strategies for tasks. However little research has focused on the strategies and heuristics users employ on their own to make usability predictions. Understanding usability prediction methods is critical because users’ predictions inform their expectations about whether they will make errors using a product, how much effort they will need to expend to be successful in using the product, whether they can perform two tasks …

Learning From Science Lectures : Students Remember More And Make Better Inferences When They Complete Skeletal Outlines Compared To Other Guided Notes., David Bradley Bellinger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is common for students to take notes during lectures, but the accuracy and completeness of these notes is highly questionable. Therefore, instructors must make an important decision – should they provide their students with lecture notes? If so, how complete should the notes be and in what format? The present experiments examined how note format and degree of support impacted the encoding benefit of note-taking. In Experiment 1, undergraduate students listened to brief audio-recorded science lectures (Human blood, N = 42; Human ear, N = 36) and completed skeletal outlines (requiring students to conceptually organize the information using the …

Fear Of Alzheimer's Disease And Its Role In Memory Monitoring And Control, Annalise Marie Rahman

Wayne State University Dissertations

Introduction: Fear of Alzheimer’s disease (FAD), or Anticipatory Dementia, is a healthy adult’s misinterpretation of everyday memory failures as indicators of developing dementia. The current study investigated the construct of FAD and aimed to contextualize FAD within the Health Belief Model through development of a new scale, the Anticipatory Dementia Index (ADI). The study also assessed the relationship between FAD and metacognitive monitoring and metacognitive control.

Methods: 94 cognitively-intact community-dwelling older adults with and without a history of family history of AD completed questionnaires regarding their subjective memory complaints, state and trait anxiety, depression, and multiple measures of FAD, including …