metacognition

thought process

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Last updated

July 22, 2026

Quick Summary

Metacognition is the awareness and analysis of one's own thinking processes. It involves understanding how you learn and think, and actively monitoring these cognitive activities.1

Thinking itself can be defined as covert symbolic responses to stimuli, acting as a bridge between internal activity and external environmental factors. Psychologists often focus on thinking as an intellectual effort to solve problems or find answers. This can involve modifying cognitive structures or engaging in internal problem-solving behaviors. Thinking can also encompass simple recall or more complex reasoning, which involves combining past learning experiences to create new behaviors.2

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Dunning-Kruger effect
…by the fact that the metacognitive ability to recognize deficiencies in one’s own knowledge or competence requires that one possess at least a minimum level of the same kind of knowledge or competence, which those who exhibit the effect have not attained. Because they are unaware of their deficiencies, such…
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…by the fact that the metacognitive ability to recognize deficiencies in one’s own knowledge or competence requires that one possess at least a minimum level of the same kind of knowledge or competence, which those who exhibit the effect have not attained. Because they are unaware of their deficiencies, such…
Read More