Neurocognitive mechanisms of metacognition in arithmetic

There is nascent evidence that children’s metacognitive regulation, i.e. higher order cognitive resources that monitor and control task performance, predicts their arithmetic skills, although existing research largely focused on metacognitive monitoring and less on metacognitive control, and has been limited to specific (young) age groups. We also know little about the electrophysiological correlates of these processes, particularly not in developmental populations. Therefore, the aim of the present project is to more systematically investigate the neurocognitive mechanisms of metacognitive regulation during arithmetic problem solving and learning in children and adults. Three work packages will investigate (1) the association between arithmetic performance and metacognitive regulation in four age groups using electrophysiological (EEG) and behavioral measures (2) the roles of metacognitive regulation and its neurophysiological correlates in learning novel arithmetic problems (3) whether the association between metacognitive regulation and arithmetic is causal by examining the behavioral and electrophysiological effects of stimulating metacognitive regulation on arithmetic performance and learning. Collectively, these studies are destined to yield important new insights in the associations between metacognitive regulation and arithmetic performance, learning and development. They provide a critical ground for the development of educational and remedial interventions.