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Metacognition: Faced with a test, rats can check their knowledge first
March 09, 2007Researchers have found evidence that rats are capable of metacognition—that is, they can possess knowledge of their own cognitive states. This ability, which can also be thought of as the capacity to assess or reflect on one's own mental processes, was previously only recognized in humans and other primates. The findings are reported by Allison Foote and Jonathon Crystal of the University of Georgia and appear online in the journal Current Biology, published by Cell Press, on March 8th.
Assessing metacognition skills in non-human animals is made difficult by our limited ability to communicate with animals about abstract information or concepts. But in past work, metacognition in primates had been successfully probed by employing an ingenious technique: Animals were familiarized with a test that assessed a certain kind of knowledge that they may or may not have obtained during a "study period," and were then given a choice of taking the test or declining it. Animals were taught that by electing to take the test and passing it, they would receive a large reward, but that failing the test would yield no reward. Declining the test would yield a small reward. Therefore, animals faced with the decision of taking or declining the test would, in principle, have the chance to weigh the likelihood that they would pass the test (and receive a large reward) against the option of declining the test and receiving a certain, but smaller, reward.
Two lines of evidence from the experiments indicated that rats can judge whether they have enough information to pass the text. First, the researchers observed that the more difficult the time-discrimination task was, the more frequently rats opted to decline the test. And second, accuracy in the test declined as the difficulty of the time-discrimination task increased, and this decline in accuracy was greater when rats were not given the choice of declining the test—that is, when they were "forced" to take it. The findings indicate that rats were able to assess, on a trial-by-trial basis, whether they were likely to pass the test if they took it.
The findings broaden our understanding of the prevalence of certain cognitive skills in the animal kingdom, and, as the authors point out in their paper, may provide opportunities to study the neuroanatomical and molecular mechanisms that underlie metacognition.
Cell Press
Evidence Points to Conscious 'Metacognition' in Some Nonhuman Animals
J. David Smith, Ph.D., a comparative psychologist at the University at Buffalo who has conducted extensive studies in animal cognition, says there is growing evidence that animals share functional parallels with human conscious metacognition -- that is, they may share humans' ability to reflect upon, monitor or regulate their states of mind.
Toddlers are capable of introspection
Preschoolers are more introspective than we give them credit for, according to new research by Simona Ghetti, assistant professor of psychology at UC Davis.
UGA research shows rats are capable of reflecting on mental processes
Let's say a college student enters a classroom to take a test. She probably already has an idea how she will do—knowledge available before she actually takes out a pencil. But do animals possess the same ability to think about what they know or don't know?
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Metacognition by John Dunlosky (Author), Janet Metcalfe (Author) Metacognition is the first textbook to focus on people’s extraordinary ability to evaluate and control their cognitive processes. This comprehensive text covers both theoretical and empirical metacognitive research in educational, developmental, cognitive and applied psychology. Authors John Dunlosky and Janet Metcalfe address many of the key questions that have inspired scientists to pursue research in this domain. To answer these and many other questions, the authors assess major theoretical themes and programmatic research in the field. The authors also include chapters that define the scope of metacognition and cover its historical origins. Not only do they describe well-received theories about the nature of metacognition, but they also highlight unresolved mysteries... |
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Handbook of Metacognition in Education (Educational Psychology) by Douglas J. Hacker (Editor), John Dunlosky (Editor), Arthur C. Graesser (Editor) Providing comprehensive coverage of the theoretical bases of metacognition and its applications to educational practice, this compendium of focused and in-depth discussions from leading scholars in the field:
The Handbook of Metacognition in Education — covering Comprehension Strategies, Metacognitive Strategies, Metacomprehension, Writing, Science and Mathematics, Individual... |
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Applied Metacognition by Timothy J. Perfect (Editor), Bennett L. Schwartz (Editor) There is a growing theoretical and practical interest in the topic of metacognition: how mental processses are monitored and controlled. This study overviews the relationship between theories in metacognition and their real-world applications. In addition to a theoretical overview, chapters cover metacognition in three areas: education, everyday life memory and in diverse populations. |
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Metacognition: Knowing about Knowing by Janet Metcalfe (Editor), Arthur P. Shimamura (Editor) "This volume provides the reader with an interesting and accessible summary of the latest work in a field (metacognition) that has only recently re-emerged as a major focus of research interest. Researchers seeking an overview and teachers wanting a source text to update their lectures will find this a useful read." -- Timothy J. Perfect, Contemporary Psychology Metacognition offers an up-to-date compendium of major scientific issues involved in metacognition. The twelve original contributions provide a concise statement of theoretical and empirical research on self-reflective processes or knowing about what we know. Self-reflective processes are often thought to be central to what we mean by consciousness and the personal self. Without such processes, one would ... |
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Metacognition, Strategy Use, and Instruction by Harriet Salatas Waters (Editor), Wolfgang Schneider PhD (Editor), John G. Borkowski (Editor) Showcasing exemplary research programs, this book explores how the latest theories and findings on cognitive development can be used to improve classroom instruction. The focus is on how children acquire knowledge about the processes involved in learning—such as remembering, thinking, and problem solving—as well as strategies for mastering new information. The contributors are leading experts who illustrate ways teachers can support the development of metacognition and goal-directed strategy use throughout the school years and in different academic domains. Teacher behaviors and instructional methods that promote these abilities are identified, and innovative assessment approaches and research designs are described. |
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How to Teach Metacognitive Reflection (Mindful School) by Robin J. Fogarty (Author) Take the mystery out of metacognition with the proven methods in this guide. With these easy-to-follow models you`ll discover how easy it is to incorporate reflection and how beneficial this strategy is for student learning. |
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Metacognition in Literacy Learning: Theory, Assessment, Instruction, and Professional Development by Susan Israel; Cathy Collins Block; Kathryn Kinnucan-Welsch (Editor) This volume provides the first comprehensive, research-based examination of metacognition in literacy learning. Bringing together research findings from reading, linguistics, psychology, and education, it is logically organized as follows: Part I provides the theoretical foundation that supports the teaching of metacognition; Parts II and III provide new methods for metacognitive assessment and instruction in literacy contexts at all grade levels; and Part IV provides new information on integrating metacognition into professional development programs. Key features include: *Chapter Structure. Teacher reflections at the beginning of each chapter illustrate teacher thinking about the chapter topic and metacognitive connections at the end of each chapter link its content with that... |
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Metacognition Malley (Primary Contributor) |
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Comprehension Connections: Bridges to Strategic Reading by Tanny McGregor (Author) Deepen your understanding of Comprehension Connections. Listen to Tanny McGregor's three Webinars, archived here for use with professional learning groups of any size: Click here to access the webinars now http://www.heinemann.com/mcgregorwebinar/ Inferring, questioning, determining importance. It's not easy to explain these abstract reading strategies to elementary readers, yet knowing how they work and how to use them is an important first step to connecting with texts. Fortunately Tanny McGregor has developed visual, tangible, everyday lessons that make abstract thinking concrete and that can help every child in your classroom make more effective use of reading comprehension strategies.Comprehension Connections is a guide to developing children's ability to fully understand... |
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