Reactivity to Confidence Ratings During Reasoning and Problem Solving

Abstract

Confidence ratings are one of the most frequently used measures of metacognition. Is has traditionally been assumed that confidence ratings can be elicited from individuals without affecting their underlying cognitive and metacognitive processes. Recently, research has challenged this assumption by demonstrating changes in cognitive performance in reaction to providing self-report measures of metacognition, so-called reactivity. The purpose of this thesis was to extend these findings by examining reactivity to confidence ratings in reasoning and problem-solving tasks. After introducing theory relevant to metacognition and reactivity in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 provides a meta-analysis of reactivity to judgements of learning. This meta-analysis indicated that positive reactivity (a facilitation of cognitive performance) occurs in response to related, but not unrelated word-pairs. Chapter 3 presents one of the first empirical studies of reactivity to confidence ratings, demonstrating that confidence ratings benefit performance on an IQ test, but reactivity is moderated by trait-like self-confidence. In Chapter 4 the effect of eliciting confidence ratings on metacognitive monitoring and control is examined. The results show that collecting confidence ratings impairs metacognitive monitoring. Additionally, metacognitive control is affected, in that confidence ratings prompt participants to focus on short-term performance, rather than long-term performance. Chapter 5 shows that the word ‘confident’ may prime pre-existing beliefs about one’s competence, which results in reactivity effects. Finally, Chapter 6 evaluates reactivity to prospective confidence ratings. The results indicate that eliciting prospective confidence ratings facilitates performance on a cognitive task. Implications for the measurements of metacognition and the use of confidence ratings in research, as well as the potential use of confidence ratings as an educational intervention are discussed in Chapter 7.