ERIC Number: EJ1460887
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Dec
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1556-1623
EISSN: EISSN-1556-1631
Available Date: 2025-02-10
Reactivity to Confidence Ratings: Evidence of Impaired Rule-Learning
Kit S. Double1; Micah B. Goldwater1; Damian P. Birney1
Metacognition and Learning, v20 n1 Article 8 2025
Recent evidence has shown that eliciting confidence ratings can affect cognitive performance--a so-called reactivity effect. Several mechanisms have been proposed to account for reactivity, but currently there is only indirect evidence about why confidence ratings are reactive. Here, we explore the strategic changes in cognitive processes that occur in response to confidence ratings. Using a category learning paradigm that distinguishes between memorization and rule learning, in a large-sample (N = 710) pre-registered study, we show that eliciting confidence ratings caused a reduction in rule-based learning, even when compared to participants who made judgments of learning that asked them to reflect on their learning during the task as a whole. We argue that confidence ratings promote changes in the strategies participants adopt, driven by a more conservative approach that prioritizes performance over mastery and ultimately hinders rule-based learning and knowledge transfer.
Descriptors: Attitude Change, Self Esteem, Memory, Concept Formation, Learning Processes, Reflection, Performance, Mastery Learning, Metacognition
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link-springer-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Data File: URL: https://osf.io/mtcjs/?view_only=ad676abfe75c41faa282cf0595e10648
Author Affiliations: 1The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia