Metacognition
Awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes; essentially "thinking about thinking".
In the context of learning, metacognition involves planning, monitoring, and evaluating your understanding and performance. It is the executive function that guides your study strategy.
Metacognitive Strategies
- Self-Assessment: Accurately judging what you know and what you don't (avoiding the illusion of competence).
- Planning: Deciding which study techniques to use for different types of material.
- Reflection: Analyzing why you got a question wrong (e.g., was it a knowledge gap or a logic error?).
High-performing medical students often exhibit superior metacognitive skills, allowing them to adapt their strategies quickly.