Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Introspection, or metacognition, is the capacity to reflect on our own thoughts and behaviours. Here, we investigated how one specific metacognitive ability (the relationship between task performance and confidence) develops in adolescence, a period of life associated with the emergence of self-concept and enhanced self-awareness. We employed a task that dissociates objective performance on a visual task from metacognitive ability in a group of 56 participants aged between 11 and 41 years. Metacognitive ability improved significantly with age during adolescence, was highest in late adolescence and plateaued going into adulthood. Our results suggest that awareness of one's own perceptual decisions shows a prolonged developmental trajectory during adolescence.

Original publication

DOI

10.1016/j.concog.2013.01.004

Type

Journal article

Journal

Conscious Cogn

Publication Date

03/2013

Volume

22

Pages

264 - 271

Keywords

Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Analysis of Variance, Cognition, Female, Humans, Intelligence Tests, Male, Psychology, Adolescent, ROC Curve, Self Concept, Sex Factors, Theory of Mind, Visual Perception, Young Adult