Developmental Improvements and Persisting Difficulties in Children's Metacognitive Monitoring and Control Skills: Cross‐Sectional and Longitudinal Perspectives. Issue 3 (2nd February 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bayard, Natalie S.; van Loon, Mariëtte H.; Steiner, Martina; Roebers, Claudia M.
• Is Part Of: Child development. Volume 92:Issue 3(2021)
• Page Start: 1118
• Page End: 1136
• Publication Date: 2021-02-02
• Subjects: Child development -- Periodicals; Child psychology -- Periodicals; Child Development -- Periodicals; Child Development; Pediatrics -- Periodicals; Pedicatrics; 305.231
• DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13486
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0009-3920

Abstract

Abstract : This study investigated age‐dependent improvements of monitoring and control in 7/8‐ and 9/10‐year‐old children. We addressed prospective (judgments of learning and restudy selections) and retrospective metacognitive skills (confidence judgments and withdrawal of answers). Children ( N = 305) completed a paired‐associate learning task twice, with a 1‐year delay. Results revealed improvements in retrospective, but not in prospective monitoring and control. Furthermore, control remained suboptimal, seemingly a consequence of overoptimistic monitoring. Both age groups showed stronger monitoring‐based control at the second compared to the first assessment. The comparison with a cross‐sectional sample ( N = 144) revealed that improvements in retrospective monitoring can be mainly attributed to naturally occurring development, whereas retrospective control seemed to improve due to increased task familiarity.