The Metacognitive Abilities of Children and Adults.

AIS J; SALLES A; SIGMAN M; CALERO CI

Cordoba, Argentina

Congreso; XXVIII Reunión Anual de la SAN; 2014

Sociedad Argentina Neurociencias

Metacognitive ability, or the capacity to reflect upon one?s own knowledge, is a key trait in our cognitive repertoire which is developed during childhood. Whether kids in school age can perform as well as adults in metacognitive tasks is a question that has not been addressed directly before. Here, we make a direct comparison of metacognitive ability in children and adults, showing conclusively for the first time that 6-8 year old children have a level of metacognitive access similar to that of adults. Further, we apply a signal detection theory model that allows us to separate metacognitive ability with the propensity of risk taking, two factors that have so far been confounded in studies assessing metacognition in children. Using the model, we show that children have a suboptimal tendency towards risky decisions. We then show how the natural predisposition to overconfidence can be partially mitigated by imposing a conservative normative strategy. The extent to which this actually has an effect seems to be progressive with age, which we show by comparing adults, 6-8 year olds, and a group of preschoolers in the 3-5 age range.