How cognitive conflict affects judgments of learning: Evaluating the contributions of processing fluency and metamemory beliefs

Abstract

Previous research has documented that cognitive conflict affects basic cognitive processes such as memory, reasoning, and attention allocation. However, little research has explored whether its effect can be extended to higher cognitive processes such as metacognitive monitoring. The current study took a novel variant of a Stroop task that employed words presented in a color opposite to the color of the object itself (e.g., heart, presented in green) or same as the color of the object (e.g., forest, presented in green) as targets, an important form of metacognitive monitoring-judgments of learning (JOLs) was used as the measurement index to investigate the influence of cognitive conflict on metacognitive monitoring and to delineate the potential mechanisms underlying the cognitive conflict effect on JOLs. In Experiment 1, results showed that participants gave higher JOLs to consistent than to conflict words, even though cognitive conflict had little influence on memory recall. Experiment 2, employing a selfpaced study task, found that conflict words were processed less rapidly than consistent ones, and the difference in processing fluency significantly mediated the cognitive conflict effect on JOLs. Experiment 3 employed an observer-learner task; the mediation analysis showed a complete mediation role of metamemory beliefs (observation JOLs) in the relationship between word type and JOLs. In Experiment 4, research results suggested that participants' beliefs about processing fluency played an important role in the cognitive conflict effect. To conclude, cognitive conflict is a reliable factor affecting higher cognitive processes (metamemory monitoring). Both processing fluency and metamemory beliefs tend to contribute to the cognitive conflict effect.

Research on the Influence of User and Graphic–Text Combined Icon Construal Level Fitting on Visual Cognition

“…High inconsistency in cognitive conflict will affect users' abstract construal level, especially for users with low construal levels, which will increase cognitive difficulty [44]. The information design of cognitive conflict will reduce users' visual cognitive ability, which is mainly mediated by the participation of cognitive fluency in the visual process [45,46].…”

Under Psychological Safety Climate: The Beneficial Effects of Teacher–Student Conflict

“…As prior research mentioned, conflict can be divided into two forms: cognitive conflict and affective conflict [ 10 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. During the teacher–student interaction, cognitive conflict refers to disagreement in viewpoints, ideas, and opinions during the teacher–student interaction [ 23 , 24 ]. Affective conflict is defined as disagreements related to interpersonal emotional incompatibilities induced by differing personalities and values [ 25 , 26 ].…”

“…Cognitive conflict happens during the teacher–student interaction when there are arguments over knowledge differences in viewpoints [ 21 , 23 ]. Conflict is an unavoidable occurrence [ 24 ] because teachers and students play distinct roles in the classroom, and their knowledge backgrounds, experiences, and priorities are different [ 35 ]. Their understanding of class content may be subversive, and students may not always completely understand the theory and knowledge, nor do they always fully accept all of the teachers’ opinions.…”

The Impact of Covid-19 Lockdown on Metamemory among Medical Students

“…It is defined as the knowledge of one's own memory process and is known to play an important role in the organization and choice of stratagem, apportionment of cognitive reservoirs, observation of intellectual capacity and performance appraisal. 5,6 Metamemory is measured using self-report Likert scales like the Multi-factorial Memory Questionnaire (MMQ) 7,8 . While there have been several studies focused on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown on students' mental health in general, the influence of such an unprecedented global phenomenon on cognitive faculties such as metamemory, within the young adult demographic, remains to be explored further.…”