Effects of Accuracy Motivation and Anchoring on Metacomprehension Judgment and Accuracy

• Published in: The Journal of general psychology Vol. 139; no. 3; pp. 155 - 174
• Main Author: Zhao, Qin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA Taylor & Francis Group 01.07.2012; Taylor & Francis; Taylor & Francis Inc
• Subjects: Accuracy; accuracy motivation; Adjustment; anchoring and adjustment; Biological and medical sciences; Comprehension; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Judgment; Language; Male; metacomprehension accuracy; metacomprehension judgment; Motivation; Production and perception of written language; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Uncertainty; Young Adult; Human; accuracy motivation; Verbal comprehension; Metacognition; metacomprehension accuracy; metacomprehension judgment; Cognition; anchoring and adjustment; Reading; Accuracy; Language; Motivation; Anchorage effect; Judgment
• ISSN: 0022-1309; 1940-0888; 1940-0888
• DOI: 10.1080/00221309.2012.680523

The current research investigates how accuracy motivation impacts anchoring and adjustment in metacomprehension judgment and how accuracy motivation and anchoring affect metacomprehension accuracy. Participants were randomly assigned to one of six conditions produced by the between-subjects factorial design involving accuracy motivation (incentive or no) and peer performance anchor (95%, 55%, or no). Two studies showed that accuracy motivation did not impact anchoring bias, but the adjustment-from-anchor process occurred. Accuracy incentive increased anchor-judgment gap for the 95% anchor but not for the 55% anchor, which induced less certainty about the direction of adjustment. The findings offer support to the integrative theory of anchoring. Additionally, the two studies revealed a "power struggle" between accuracy motivation and anchoring in influencing metacomprehension accuracy. Accuracy motivation could improve metacomprehension accuracy in spite of anchoring effect, but if anchoring effect is too strong, it could overpower the motivation effect. The implications of the findings were discussed.