Exploring the Association Between Executive Functions and Metacognition in Children: Empirical Work From Three Countries

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Children’s ability to plan their work, act in a goal-directed way, and master tasks is associated with their academic achievement (Blair, 2016). Two different fields of research explored possible underlying cognitive processes including executive functions (EFs) and metacognition. EFs are typically conceptualized as including working memory, inhibitory control and shifting (Miyake et al., 2000). Metacognition in turn is the ability to reflect on own thinking processes and adjust behavior (Flavell, 1976). These two constructs are related, and both contribute to children’s ability to self-regulate their learning. However, only few empirical studies have addressed the underlying reason for their relationship.
The papers in this symposium highlight the relationship between children’s EFs and metacognitive monitoring. All papers ask children to provide monitoring judgments following cognitive tasks tapping working memory, inhibitory control, and perception. One paper additionally uses post-error slowing as an indicator for monitoring. However, papers differ in the way they conceptualize the association between EFs and metacognition. Paper 1 investigates the role of monitoring in EF and metacognition tasks. Paper 2 explores if a manipulation of EF demands influences children’s monitoring accuracy. Paper 3 assesses the relationship between neural markers of executive functioning and children's confidence judgments. Papers in this symposium include kindergarten and elementary school children from three different countries (United States, Germany, Switzerland). An expert in the field will highlight commonalities and differences between the different contributions and synthesize how EFs and metacognition might be related based on this novel empirical evidence.

Sub Unit

• Cognitive Processes

Chair

• Janina Eberhart, University of Tübingen

Discussant

• Lucy Cragg, University of Nottingham

Individual Presentations

• Does Monitoring Underlie the Association Between Executive Functions and Metacognition? - Presenting Author: Ebru Ger, Universität Bern; Florian Jonas Buehler, Universität Bern; Claudia M. Roebers, University of Bern

• Do Children Rely on Their Executive Functions When Providing Monitoring Judgments? - Presenting Author: Janina Eberhart, University of Tübingen; Donna Bryce, University of Tübingen

• The Neurocognitive Correlates of Young Children’s Uncertainty Monitoring: An ERP Study - Presenting Author: Christopher Gonzales, University of California - Davis; Lindsay Caroline Bowman, University of California - Davis; Sonja Hunter, University of California - Davis; Simona Ghetti, University of California - Davis