A dual-process account of the development of scientific reasoning: The nature and development of metacognitive intercession skills

• Published in: Cognitive development Vol. 23; no. 4; pp. 452 - 471
• Main Authors: Amsel, Eric, Klaczynski, Paul A., Johnston, Adam, Bench, Shane, Close, Jason, Sadler, Eric, Walker, Rick
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.10.2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Abstract Reasoning; Adolescent Development; Age; Child Development; Cognitive Ability; College Students; Conflict; Critical Thinking; Dual process theory; Mathematics; Metacognition; Metacognitive intercession; Ratio-bios task; Scientific Concepts; Task Analysis; Dual process theory; Metacognitive intercession; Ratio-bios task
• ISSN: 0885-2014; 1879-226X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2008.09.002

Metacognitive knowledge of the dual-processing basis of judgment is critical to resolving conflict between analytic and experiential processing responses [Klaczynski, P. A. (2004). A dual-process model of adolescent development: Implications for decision making, reasoning, and identity. In R. V. Kail (Ed.), Advances in child development and behavior, Vol. 31 (pp. 73–123). San Diego, CA: Academic Press]. Such conflict is ubiquitous when reasoning scientifically. Three studies explored the nature, development, and stability of this metacognitive knowledge. In each study, participants completed the ratio-bias judgment task, which assessed their tendency to make analytically based responses, and the ratio-bias evaluation task, which assessed their metacognitive knowledge of the processing basis of judgments on the task (Metacognitive Status). In Study 1, college students’ judgment performance was related to metacognitive status but not to general cognitive ability. In Study 2, metacognitive status was related to age and mathematics-related changes. Metacognitive status again predicted participants’ tendency to make analytically based judgments. In Study 3, college students’ judgments, but not metacognitive status, were affected by task conditions. The evidence suggests that assessing metacognitive knowledge is important for understanding how conflict between analytically and experientially based judgments is resolved.