Publicação
Spontaneous and Deliberate Metacognition: An Exploratory Multi-Method Study
| Resumo: | Metacognition is a complex and multi-dimensional construct that can be studied using diverse methodological approaches, including self-report questionnaires and experimental paradigms. In addition, growing attention has been directed toward spontaneous experiences such as déjà vu and tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) states, given their metacognitive nature and potentially adaptive role. However, the extent to which these different metacognitive constructs relate to one another remains poorly understood. The present exploratory study investigated the relationships between spontaneous metacognitive experiences, trait metacognitive awareness, and performance-based measures of metacognition, while also evaluating the feasibility of a diary-based monitoring method. Participants completed a standardized metacognitive awareness questionnaire (MAI) and a measure of depressive symptomatology (BDI-II), engaged in diary-based monitoring of naturally occurring déjà vu or TOT experiences, and performed episodic and semantic Feeling-of-Knowing (FOK) tasks to derive indices of metacognitive sensitivity and bias. Results indicated limited associations across metacognitive measures. Trait metacognitive awareness was consistently associated with depressive symptomatology, whereas no reliable relationships were observed between spontaneous metacognitive experiences and either trait-level awareness or state-level processes using task-based metacognitive performance. Task-based findings revealed domain-specific patterns, with semantic metacognitive bias showing associations with metacognitive awareness, while episodic bias did not. Diary entries provided phenomenologically rich and coherent descriptions of spontaneous experiences, supporting the ecological validity of diary-based methods, although low variability in reported frequencies limited quantitative analyses. Overall, the findings highlight the complexity of metacognition as a multi-faceted construct, support the feasibility of diary-based monitoring, and generate hypotheses for future research using larger samples and refined methodologies to clarify the role of spontaneous metacognitive experiences within a broader metacognitive system. |
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| Autores principais: | Antunes, Joana Falcão Ramos da Veiga |
| Assunto: | Metacognition Tip-of-the-tongue Déjà vu Diary Feeling-of-knowing Metacognição Estados "na ponta-da-língua" Déjà vu Diário Sensação-de-conhecer |
| Ano: | 2026 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso embargado |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade de Coimbra |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Estudo Geral - Universidade de Coimbra |
| Resumo: | Metacognition is a complex and multi-dimensional construct that can be studied using diverse methodological approaches, including self-report questionnaires and experimental paradigms. In addition, growing attention has been directed toward spontaneous experiences such as déjà vu and tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) states, given their metacognitive nature and potentially adaptive role. However, the extent to which these different metacognitive constructs relate to one another remains poorly understood. The present exploratory study investigated the relationships between spontaneous metacognitive experiences, trait metacognitive awareness, and performance-based measures of metacognition, while also evaluating the feasibility of a diary-based monitoring method. Participants completed a standardized metacognitive awareness questionnaire (MAI) and a measure of depressive symptomatology (BDI-II), engaged in diary-based monitoring of naturally occurring déjà vu or TOT experiences, and performed episodic and semantic Feeling-of-Knowing (FOK) tasks to derive indices of metacognitive sensitivity and bias. Results indicated limited associations across metacognitive measures. Trait metacognitive awareness was consistently associated with depressive symptomatology, whereas no reliable relationships were observed between spontaneous metacognitive experiences and either trait-level awareness or state-level processes using task-based metacognitive performance. Task-based findings revealed domain-specific patterns, with semantic metacognitive bias showing associations with metacognitive awareness, while episodic bias did not. Diary entries provided phenomenologically rich and coherent descriptions of spontaneous experiences, supporting the ecological validity of diary-based methods, although low variability in reported frequencies limited quantitative analyses. Overall, the findings highlight the complexity of metacognition as a multi-faceted construct, support the feasibility of diary-based monitoring, and generate hypotheses for future research using larger samples and refined methodologies to clarify the role of spontaneous metacognitive experiences within a broader metacognitive system. |
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