Age-related differences in metacognitive control in toddlerhood: A pilot study

Over the past decade, evidence has been provided that metacognition – processes whereby people monitor and regulate their mental operations – emerges at an early stage of children’s development. To date, however, few studies have examined age-related differences in these early skills. The aim of this pilot study was to document changes in metacognitive processes over the course of toddlerhood. To do so, 3 groups of 24-, 30-, and 36-month-old children were recruited (n=54) and presented with a forced-choice recognition task. After each memory decision, participants were presented with a cue to help them decide whether their response was correct. They had then the opportunity to change their recognition response. The ability to use the cue to switch response more often after an incorrect than a correct decision was used as a measure of metacognitive efficiency. Results revealed that children in all age groups were able to use the cue to strategically improve their memory performance and that such an ability increased with age. Such findings confirm the early emergence of strategic metacognitive skills in toddlerhood and contribute to our understanding of the nature of the metacognitive change occurring at such a young age.