title: Metacognitive control: Shifting from habitual to agenda processes on item selection during study in elementary school children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Like adults, children need to allocate study time and endeavour optimally in order to enhance learning effectiveness.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the development of shifting from habitual to agenda-based processes on study decisions.
  
  
  METHODS
  The participants were 309 children in the second, fourth, and sixth grades.
  
  
  METHODS
  We adopted the research paradigm proposed by Ariel and Dunlosky (2013, Mem. Cognit., 41, 416). In Experiment 1, the students selected items to study either with or without time constraint. In Experiment 2, the students were instructed to select all three items or one item to study per trial.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of Experiment 1 showed that for sixth graders, the likelihood of selecting high-value items under the restricted-study-time condition was higher than that under the restricted-total-time condition; second and fourth graders failed to construct an agenda of prioritizing high-reward items for study in the restricted-study-time condition. In Experiment 2, when students were instructed to select one item to study per trial, high-value items were prioritized over items on the left of the array for sixth graders; on the contrary, second and fourth graders seemed to choose item for study arbitrary, although they tend to choose high-value items compared with their choice pattern in no-choice-limit condition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate that children can shift towards agenda-based process when habitual responding cannot maximize reward, and there is an age-related improvement in shifting between grade 4 and grade 6.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China.
authors.forename: Weijian
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Lab of Modern Teaching Technology, Shanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Haojie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China.
authors.forename: Fengying
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yuchi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China.
authors.forename: Xinyu
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3828-0971
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D000067489:Metacognition / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: agenda-based regulation; elementary school children; habitual responding; study decision-making