What is metacognition?

In general terms, metacognition is knowledge about one’s own knowledge. It involves the active examination of the cognitive tasks that we are performing and the consequent regulation and organization of the processes related to memory, attention, calculation… in the service of a specific objective.

It is about the level of awareness and knowledge we have about a task and its monitoring. Illustrating this definition with an example, when doing a mathematical problem, we first analyze the knowledge that we know we have in this area, then the different tasks that we must perform to solve it and the coordination of all of these. Once the process has been developed, we will evaluate the degree of precision we have had at the end.

Many times we are not aware of our own thinking, we do not reflect on what we think. We are not aware of all those processes, large and small, that lead us to act in a certain way or to resolve a certain activity.

Sometimes, The difficulty that a task represents is given by the lack of assessment of our own abilities and the different metacognitive strategies that we use.

Metacognition, analyzing our thinking

The psychologist and cognitive theorist John H. Flavell was one of the pioneers in addressing this topicand defined two important factors in metacognition:

The knowledge of each person’s cognitive processes and products. The examination, regulation and organization of that knowledge.

For correct use of mental processes, it is important to use metacognitive skills. Since they are necessary for the acquisition, use and control of knowledge; and they serve to plan and regulate the effective use of one’s own cognitive resources.

In this way, it is not only important to have a good memory or be very good at performing mathematical operations, but You have to know how to organize this knowledge or prioritize and sequence the processes.

Brown was another professor who researched this topic, and proposed that the ideal is for us to know about our own knowledge. Well, it is important to develop self-awareness (knowing what one knows) so as not to incur secondary ignorance (not knowing that one does not know).

Metacognitive modalities

Metacognitive modalities are the different types of existing metacognition. Each of them is linked to a different cognitive capacity, and they help plan and organize thinking and different cognitive processes.

Furthermore, these They aim to optimize thinking, problem solving or learning. Let’s see what they are.

Meta-memory

It refers to the knowledge of our own memory and implies knowing our abilities in this area and have the ability to relate previous knowledge with new information learned.

This ability to contrast and connect already stored knowledge with new knowledge is very beneficial for analytical ability.

Meta-attention

It refers to the control of one’s attention. Therefore, it involves focusing attention on a specific moment and be aware of external and internal factors that can make it difficult to concentrate.

For it, It is important to know what capacity we have to attend and what strategies can help ussuch as: taking breaks every hour, or knowing what time of day we have greater concentration.

Meta-understanding

it implies be aware of the ability to understand one or more concepts and use them properly.

Sometimes, when we skim a text, we think we have perfectly understood the meaning just at a glance. However, if we were asked questions about the content, we would discover that we have not understood the information in all its nuances.

To improve our ability to understand there are techniques such as making mental maps. after having received the information; explain the topic to another person; or repeat to ourselves what we have just read or heard.

Meta-thinking

It is the thought about one’s own thought. We rarely reflect on our own thoughts. That is, we all think about different issues that concern us, but we rarely really stop to do reflective thinking about our own ideas and beliefs.

Therefore, meta-thinking refers to “how to think” instead of “what to think.” In this way, it is a tool that can be useful in schools to encourage creativity.

Its relationship with learning

During the academic years they teach us thousands of theories, historical facts, mathematical formulas and philosophical currents, but it is unusual that they do not teach how to learn. From the perspective of metacognition, One of the cornerstones of knowledge is learning to learn, using metacognitive skills.

That is, it is learn to recognize those strategies that most help us optimize our own cognitive processes; which may vary from person to person. Therefore, it would be interesting to teach in the classroom the different metacognitive techniques that allow the educational material to be assimilated more effectively.

People with good metacognitive skills are characterized by better use of memory, relating the content in it better and faster. In addition, they process new information in a more conceptual and profound way. For example, when they learn a theory they are able to apply it and relate it to other different theories.

But, in the case of superficial learning, the content would be forgotten after a short time and would also be learned as a separate entity from all our previous knowledge.

This ability to integrate concepts and establish a network in which new learning is related to what is already known, facilitates reasoning and integration in memory, and can even help create own conclusions and theories.

Examples of metacognition

To better understand what metacognition is about, here are some examples:

Be aware of our strengths and weaknesses at a cognitive level. For example: knowing that we have trouble remembering dates, but recognizing that we remember images and other visual elements very well.Know what strategy to use to optimize cognition and if it is appropriate for the activity we are going to carry out.. For example: knowing that if we write the key concepts of the text on paper, it will help us better understand the information. Or, be aware that a first quick reading and a second one with greater depth will help us assimilate the content better. Realize that a certain strategy is not being successful and we try to carry out a different one. It may also happen that we realize that there is another strategy that better suits our needs and that is more comfortable and efficient. Recognize if a certain task will be complex to understand and why. And, based on there, implement those strategies that will help us assimilate it in a more efficient way.

theory of mind

The theory is closely linked to metacognition, although the latter, It relates more to the thinking of others and not so much to one’s own.. We can take the brain as a predictive machine whose objective is to reduce the uncertainty of the environment. It refers to the ability to predict and understand other people’s behavior, their knowledge, intentions and beliefs.

One of the most recognized researchers on the theory of mind is the psychologist and anthropologist Gregory Bateson. According to him, this function develops in both animals and humans, although at different levels. What’s more, he demonstrated with his studies that dog puppies were able to distinguish whether they were in a real or simulated fight with other puppies, they saw the intentionality in the mind of the other animal.

Theory of mind allows us to predict reactions in others and intuit what they think or feel at a given moment.. It is an extremely useful function for survival and adaptation to different environments. Understanding others and anticipating what they are going to do is tremendously useful and necessary. As social animals that we are, it is essential to facilitate coexistence and maintain good relationships.

Both metacognition and theory of mind refer to the control and monitoring of thinking, our own and that of others. Some people may have difficulties in this supervisory and regulatory mechanism of thought, causing them some problems when performing cognitive tasks and understanding others.

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