title: Evidence of a metacognitive benefit to memory?
abstract: Studies of the memory-control framework have contrasted free-report and forced-report recall, with little regard to the order of these two tests. The present experiment sought to demonstrate that test order is crucial, and that this suggests a potential role for metacognitive monitoring on memory retrieval. Participants undertook tests of episodic and semantic memory in both free- and forced-report format, in one of the two potential response orders. This showed that free-report performance was more accurate if conducted prior to forced-report, rather than after it, with no cost to memory quantity. Additionally, there was a trend towards higher forced-report performance if it was preceded by an initial free-report test, a pattern revealed by a meta-analysis to be consistent with previous studies in the literature. These findings suggest a reciprocal relationship between metacognitive monitoring and early retrieval processes in memory that results in higher memory performance when monitoring is encouraged.
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychology , Plymouth University , Plymouth , UK.
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Hollins
authors.affiliation: b School of Psychology , Flinders University , Adelaide , Australia.
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Weber
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology; D000067489:Metacognition / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Metacognition; forced-report; free-report; retrieval