Metacognition in Self-derivation across Development Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

The acquisition of knowledge is a crucial task across the lifespan. A pervasive means by which knowledge is acquired is self-derivation through the integration of separate yet related episodes of new learning. Though successful self-derivation of new knowledge has been observed in individuals across development, from early childhood and into adulthood, there is considerable age-related and individual variability in the success one experiences. Metacognition, “thinking about thinking,” may be related to age-related and individual variability observed in self-derivation performance. This is because metacognition may support learners monitoring their knowledge for the facts necessary to self-derive new knowledge and it may also facilitate the steps necessary to successfully integrate and derive new knowledge. In 3 studies, we investigated the relation between self-derivation and metacognition. In the first direct examination of adults' self-derivation and metacognition, adults made judgments about how well they believed they learned facts necessary to self-derive new knowledge. In Study 1, adults were more likely to self-derive when they made a judgment about one or both of the necessary facts than when they did not make a judgment. In Study 2, a cross-sectional examination of children’s metacognition about their self-derivation, there was not significant age-related change in the relation between children’s metacognitive accuracy and their self-derivation performance. However, the accuracy of confidence judgments made after answering self-derivation questions was significantly related to self-derivation performance suggesting that children can successfully monitor their self-derivation. Study 3 was a 3-year longitudinal investigation of children’s self-derivation and metacognition. Results revealed significant stability in self-derivation performance from year to year. Children’s metacognition about their self-derivation did not begin to stabilize until Year 3 when children’s predictions about their performance were related to the previous year’s predictions. Taken together, these data suggest that metacognition about self-derivation undergoes significant development in late childhood and that children can glean some information about their self-derivation performance through metacognitive monitoring. More broadly, these results suggest that metacognition likely needs to be actively engaged to be most effective in the context of self-derivation across development.

Table of Contents

List of Tables ……………………………………………………………………………………..1

List of Figures ………………………………………………………………………….................3

General Introduction …………………………………………………………………...................4

Study 1 …………………………………………………………………………………………..17

           Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………..18

Method …………………………………………………………………………………..25

Results …………………………………………………………………………...............28

           Discussion ……………………………………………………………………………….31

           References …………………………………………………………………………….…36

           Tables ……………………………………………………………………........................40

           Figures …………………………………………………………………………...............42

           Appendix …………………………………………………………………………...........45

Study 2 ………………………………………………………………………………..................46

           Introduction …………………………………………………………………...................47

           Method …………………………………………………………………………………..54

           Results ………………………………………………………………………...................60

           Discussion ………………………………………………………….................................64

           References ……………………………………………………………………………….72

           Tables ………………………………………………………………………....................77

           Figures …………………………………………………………………………………...81

           Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………82

Study 3 …………………………………………………………………………………………..84

           Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………...85

           Method …………………………………………………………………………………..93

           Results …………………………………………………………………………………..98

           Discussion ……………………………………………………………………………...106

           References …………………………………………………………………...................115

           Tables …………………………………………………………………………………..119

           Figures ………………………………………………………………………………….130

General Discussion …………………………………………………………………………….131

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School	Laney Graduate School
Department	Psychology
Degree	Ph.D.
Submission	Dissertation
Language	English
Research Field	Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Experimental
Keyword	memory development metacognition learning
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Patricia J. Bauer, Emory University
Committee Members	Janet Metcalfe, Columbia University Robert R. Hampton, Emory University Phillip Wolff, Emory University Joseph Manns, Emory University

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