Metacognition

Metacognition is the first textbook to focus on people′s extraordinary ability to evaluate and control their cognitive processes. This comprehensive text covers both theoretical and empirical metacognitive research in educational, developmental, cognitive and applied psychology.

Authors John Dunlosky and Janet Metcalfe address many of the key questions that have inspired scientists to pursue research in this domain. To answer these and many other questions, the authors assess major theoretical themes and programmatic research in the field. The authors also include chapters that define the scope of metacognition and cover its historical origins. Not only do they describe well-received theories about the nature of metacognition, but they also highlight unresolved mysteries currently on the cutting-edge of research.

Key Features

• Emphasizes the practical relevance of theory and research in metacognition to learning with the use of "Application" boxes
• Introduces students to important questions that have yet to be answered by the metacognitive research literature with the inclusion of "Mystery" boxes
• Provides three easy-to-conduct demonstrations (e.g., tip-of-the-tongue experience, delayed-judgment-of-learning effect, etc.) that students can try themselves
• Offers brief biographies that introduce students to some of the most influential leaders in metacognition
• Includes a general summary at the end of each chapte

Intended Audience

This text is an ideal resource for undergraduate cognitive psychology students. It also serves as comprehensive handbook for more advanced students and psychological scientists engaged in the study of metacognitive processes.

John Dunlosky is Associate Professor of Psychology at Kent State University.  He received his Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from the University of Washington in 1993.  He has been extensively involved in metacogntive research, both theoretical and applied, for over 15 years and has written journal articles and book chapters and has edited monographic volumes on the topic, including Hacker, Dunlosky, and Graesser′s Metacognition in Educational Theory and Practice (LEA, 1998).  He has worked with grants from the Department of Education, the National Institute on Aging, and elsewhere on applied cognitive research and applying metacognition to learning.  He is on the editorial board of the newly established journal Metacognition and Learning. Janet Metcalfe is Professor of Psychology and of Neurobiology and Behavior at Columbia University.  She has been extensively involved in metacognitive research, both theoretical and applied, for over 15 years and has written journal articles and book chapters and has edited monographic volumes on the topic, including Metcalfe and Shimamura′s Metacognition: Knowing about Knowing (MIT, 1994).  She is on the editorial board of the newly established journal Metacognition and Learning.