Positive and Negative Effects of Metacognitive Prompts

Abstract

In many situations, actively engaging in metacognition may improve cognitive achievement and
subjective well-being. However, the potential disadvantages of metacognitive engagement are
only rarely communicated in metacognition research. In this article we outline three ways in
which metacognition may reduce cognitive achievement and psychological well-being. First,
metacognition may sometimes actively interfere with task performance. Second, the costs of
engaging in metacognitive strategies may under certain circumstances outweigh its benefits.
Third, metacognitive judgments or feelings involving a negative self-evaluation may detract from
psychological well-being. The main contribution of this paper is to integrate findings from
different research traditions in order to illustrate the three suggested ways in which
metacognition may be unhelpful. An implication of this overview is that although metacognition
is most often beneficial to cognitive achievement and subjective well-being, one should bear in
mind that it may also have the opposite effect. It is important for researchers and practitioners to
take this potential downside of metacognition into account. Practitioners might find it useful to
consider the following three questions that relate to my aforementioned claims: Is the nature of
the task such that metacognition could interfere with performance? Is the cognitive demand
required by the metacognitive strategy disproportionally large compared to its potential
usefulness to cognitive achievement? Does metacognition lead to an unhelpful comparison of
oneself to others? The same considerations should be kept in mind when researchers and
practitioners communicate the potential implications of research findings in metacognition
research to audiences within and beyond the research community