Metacognition

Metacognition is 'cognition about cognition', 'thinking about thinking', 'knowing about knowing', becoming 'aware of one's awareness' and higher-order thinking skills. The term comes from the root word meta, meaning 'beyond', or 'on top of'. Metacognition can take many forms; it includes knowledge about when and how to use particular strategies for learning or problem-solving. There are generally two components of metacognition: (1) knowledge about cognition and (2) regulation of cognition.The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt. Metacognition is 'cognition about cognition', 'thinking about thinking', 'knowing about knowing', becoming 'aware of one's awareness' and higher-order thinking skills. The term comes from the root word meta, meaning 'beyond', or 'on top of'. Metacognition can take many forms; it includes knowledge about when and how to use particular strategies for learning or problem-solving. There are generally two components of metacognition: (1) knowledge about cognition and (2) regulation of cognition. Metamemory, defined as knowing about memory and mnemonic strategies, is an especially important form of metacognition. Academic research on metacognitive processing across cultures is in the early stages, but there are indications that further work may provide better outcomes in cross-cultural learning between teachers and students. Some evolutionary psychologists hypothesize that humans use metacognition as a survival tool. Writings on metacognition date back at least as far as two works by the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC): On the Soul and the Parva Naturalia. This higher-level cognition was given the label metacognition by American developmental psychologist John H. Flavell (1976). The term metacognition literally means 'above cognition', and is used to indicate cognition about cognition, or more informally, thinking about thinking. Flavell defined metacognition as knowledge about cognition and control of cognition. For example, a person is engaging in metacognition if they notice that they are having more trouble learning A than B, or if it strikes them that they should double-check C before accepting it as fact. J. H. Flavell (1976, p. 232). Andreas Demetriou's theory (one of the neo-Piagetian theories of cognitive development) used the term hypercognition to refer to self-monitoring, self-representation, and self-regulation processes, which are regarded as integral components of the human mind. Moreover, with his colleagues, he showed that these processes participate in general intelligence, together with processing efficiency and reasoning, which have traditionally been considered to compose fluid intelligence.