The Efficacy of a Metacognitive Training Program in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: A 6-Month Follow-Up Clinical Study.

This study was conducted in response to the increasing prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia and the significant risk faced by individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment with multiple-domain deficits (aMCI-md). Given the promising effects of MTPs, the primary aim of this study was to further explore their impact by assessing the maintenance of their benefits. Thus, 45 participants were randomly allocated in two groups: the Experimental group (n = 22), which received the metacognitive training program (MTP), and the Control group (n = 23) that received the cognitive exercises program (CEP). The training programs-the MTP and the CEP-included 10 individual sessions of a one-hour duration and took place once per week. To test the efficacy of the MTP, cognitive and metacognitive outcomes were compared between two groups-Experimental (EG) and Control (CG)-at four distinct time points: before-after-3 months-6 months after intervention. Based on this study's findings, the positive effects of the MTP were evident over a six-month period. Specifically, already three months post-training, the CG began to show a decline in training-related gains. In contrast, the EG's performance consistently improved, highlighting the superior efficacy of the MTP. Gains attributed to the MTP were detected in cognitive measures: cognitive flexibility and immediate visual recall, as well as in metacognitive measures: metacognitive control, improved metacognitive beliefs of attention, and an increased use of cognitive strategies. In conclusion, the results demonstrated the sustained effects of the MTP in cognitive and metacognitive measures over a period of six months, providing novel insight into the application and efficacy of the MTP in individuals with MCI.

Metacognitive beliefs of efficacy about daily life situations and use of cognitive strategies in amnestic mild cognitive impairment: a cross-sectional study.

Metacognition, the ability to monitor and regulate cognitive processes, is essential for individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) to accurately identify their deficits and effectively manage them. However, previous studies primarily focused on memory awareness in MCI, neglecting other domains affected in daily life. This study aimed to investigate how individuals with MCI perceive their abilities to handle various cognitively challenging situations representing real-life scenarios and their use of compensatory strategies. Thus 100 participants were recruited, including 50 with amnestic MCI with multiple deficits (aMCI) and 50 cognitively healthy controls (HC) matched in age and education. Participants completed three metacognitive scales assessing self-perceived efficacy in everyday life scenarios and one scale evaluating use of cognitive strategies. Results indicated that aMCI participants reported significantly lower self-efficacy in memory and divided-shifted attention scenarios compared to HC. Surprisingly, no significant group differences were found in the self-reports about the use of cognitive strategies. This suggests a potential gap in understanding or applying effective strategies for compensating cognitive deficits. These findings emphasize the importance of cognitive training programs targeting metacognitive knowledge enhancement and practical use of cognitive strategies that could enhance the quality of life for individuals with MCI.

Metacognitive Differences in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment and Healthy Cognition: A Cross-Sectional Study Employing Online Measures.

This study aimed to examine metacognitive abilities in individuals diagnosed with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) by using online metacognitive measures during cognitive tasks. A total of 100 participants were enrolled, all aged 50 or older (mean age = 61.98; SD = 6.27), and with a minimum of six years of education (mean = 14.95; SD = 2.94). The sample included 50 individuals with aMCI (34 females) and 50 healthy controls (HC) (33 females). Both groups underwent metacognitive versions of memory tasks (Doors and People) and executive functions tasks (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test). Metacognition was assessed through confidence ratings given after each answer (referred to as metacognitive monitoring) and the accuracy of the participants' decisions to include or exclude answers from their final scores (known as metacognitive control). The results showed that although individuals with aMCI were aware of their cognitive limitations-evidenced by their lower confidence ratings across all tasks-they still exhibited overconfidence relative to their actual performance. Moreover, they included a greater number of incorrect answers in their final scores compared to the healthy control group. These findings suggest that while individuals with aMCI retain some level of awareness, their self-evaluations appear to lack precision. This observation was consistent across both types of cognitive tasks. The results underscore the need for additional research to better understand metacognition in MCI as well as the interplay between metacognitive monitoring and control.

Metacognitive Scales: Assessing Metacognitive Knowledge in Older Adults Using Everyday Life Scenarios.

The multidimensional effect of aging on cognition and its interference with daily functioning is well reported by many studies. Therefore, the ability to detect age-related cognitive changes is of great importance for older adults to help compensate for cognitive decline. For that, metacognition and its course of change across the lifespan of a person have attracted considerable scientific interest. The aim of the present study is to present three new self-report questionnaires, developed to measure older adults' metacognitive knowledge for everyday memory (MKEM), metacognitive knowledge for everyday attention (MKEA), and metacognitive knowledge for everyday executive functions (MKEEFs). The questionnaires were tested for structural validity and reliability. A sample size of 171 community-dwelling adults of advancing age (97 females and 74 males) voluntarily participated in this study and their ages ranged from 50 to 82 years (mean = 59.32, SD = 7.39). Exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis with varimax rotation was applied to examine structural validity. The results revealed a one-factor structure for the MKEM with high internal consistency (α = 0.88), a two-factor structure for the MKEA, that reflected "divided and shifted attention" (α = 0.74) and "concentration" (α = 0.75), and a two-factor structure for the MKEEFs that reflected "planning" (α = 0.70) and "inhibition" (α = 0.65). The variables created for each factor respectively showed significant positive correlations between each other.

Motivational beliefs, cognitive engagement, and achievement in language and mathematics in elementary school children.

The contextual differences in the patterns of relations among various motivational, cognitive, and metacognitive components of self-regulated learning and performance in two key curriculum subject areas, language and mathematics, were examined in a sample of 263 Greek primary school children of fifth- and sixth-grade classrooms. Age and gender differences were also investigated. Students were asked to complete the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich & De Groot, 1990 ), which comprised five factors: (a) Self-efficacy, (b) Intrinsic Value, (c) Test Anxiety, (d) Cognitive Strategy Use, and (e) Self-regulation Strategies. They responded to the statements of the questionnaire on a 7-point Likert scale in terms of their behaviour in mathematics and language classes, respectively. Moreover, their teachers were asked to evaluate each of their students' academic achievement in Greek language and mathematics on a 1- to 20-point comparative scale in relation to the rest of the class. The results of the study indicated very few differences in the pattern of relations among self-regulated components within and across the two subject areas and at the same time revealed a context-specific character of self-regulated components at a mean level differences. Further, the current study (a) confirmed the mediatory role of strategies in the motivation-performance relation, (b) stressed the differential role of cognitive and regulatory strategies in predicting performance in subject areas that differ in their structural characteristics of the content, and (c) pointed out the key motivational role of self-efficacy. In fact, self-efficacy proved the most significant predictor not only of performance but of cognitive and regulatory strategy use as well. Gender differences in motivation and strategy use were not reported, while motivation was found to vary mainly with age. The usefulness of these findings for promoting greater clarity among motivational and metacognitive frameworks and ideas for future research are discussed. Cette étude porte sur les différences contextuelles dans les patrons relationnels entre les diverses composantes motivationnelle, cognitive et métacognitive de l'apprentissage et de la performance auto-régulés dans deux domaines d'étude clé du programme, soit la langue et les mathématiques. Ces différences contextuelles ont été examinées dans un échantillon de 263 d'enfants d'une école primaire grecque (of) en cinquième et sixième année. Les différences sexuelles et les différences d'âge ont été aussi étudiées. Les élèves ont été priés de compléter le «Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire¼ (Pintrich & De Groot, 1990 ) qui comprend cinq facteurs: (a) l'auto-efficacité, (b) la valeur intrinsèque, (c) un test d'anxiété, (d) l'utilisation d'une stratégie cognitive et (e) les stratégies d'auto-régulation. Ils ont répondu aux énoncés du questionnaire sur une échelle de type Likert à 7 points en termes de leur comportement en classe de langue et en classe de mathématiques séparément. De plus, les enseignants ont été priés d'évaluer chaque résultat de leurs élèves dans la langue grecque et en mathématique sur une échelle allant de 1 à 20 points en comparaison au reste de la classe. Les résultats de l'étude ont indiqué très peu de différences dans les patrons relationnels entre les composantes auto-régulées à l'intérieur et entre les domaines d'étude. En même temps, les résultats ont révélé un caractère contextuel spécifique des composantes auto-regulées. De plus, la présente étude (a) a confirmé le rôle médiateur des stratégies dans la relation motivation-performance, (b) a souligné le rôle différé des stratégies cognitive et régulatoire dans la prédiction de la performance dans les domaines d'étude qui diffèrent dans leurs caractéristiques structurelles du contenu et (c) a souligné le rôle motivationnel clé de l'auto-efficacité. En effet, l'auto-efficacité s'est avérée être le prédicteur le plus significatif non seulement de la performance mais aussi de l'utilisation d'une stratégie cognitive et régulatoire. Des différences sexuelles dans la motivation et dans l'utilisation d'une stratégie n'ont pas été rapportées alors qu'il s'est avéré que la motivation variait principalement en fonction de l'âge. L'utilité de ces résultats pour la promotion d'une grande clarté entre les cadres motivationnel et métacognitif et les idées pour les études futures sont discutées. Se examinó, en una muestra de 263 niños griegos de quinto y sexto años de la escuela primaria, las diferencias contextuales en las pautas con las que se dan las relaciones entre varios componentes motivacionales, cognitivos y meta cognitivos del aprendizaje autorregulado y el desempeño en dos áreas clave del currículo, lenguaje y matemáticas. También se investigó las diferencias de edad y género. Se pidió a los alumnos que respondieran el Cuestionario de Estrategias Motivadas para el Aprendizaje (Pintrich & De Groot, 1990 ), compuesto por cinco factores: (a) Auto eficacia, (b) Valor Intrínseco, (c) Ansiedad ante los Exámenes, (d) Empleo de Estrategias Cognitivas, y (e) Estrategias Autorreguladas. Respondieron a los enunciados del cuestionario sobre una escala Likert de 7 puntos en términos de su conducta en las clases de matemáticas y lenguaje por separado. Es más, se pidió a sus profesores que evaluaran el desempeño de cada uno de sus estudiantes en Lenguaje Griego y Matemáticas de acuerdo con una escala comparativa de 1 a 20 puntos, en relación con el resto del grupo escolar. Los resultados del estudio indicaron pocas diferencias en la pauta que describen las relaciones entre los componentes de autorregulación al interior de y entre ambas áreas de estudio y, al mismo tiempo, revelaron un carácter específico del contexto de los componentes de la autorregulación con diferencias en el nivel medio. Más aún, el presente estudio (a) confirmó el papel de mediador que desempeñan las estrategias sobre la relación motivación-desempeño, (b) acentuó el papel diferencial de las estrategias cognitiva y reguladora al predecir el desempeño en áreas de estudio que difieren en las características estructurales de su contenido, y (c) señaló el papel motivacional clave que desempeña la auto eficacia. De hecho, la auto eficacia predijo de manera más significativa no sólo el desempeño, sino también el uso de la estrategia cognitiva y reguladora. No hubo diferencias de género respecto a la motivación y al uso de la estrategia, aunque se encontró que la motivación varía principalmente con la edad. Se discute la utilidad de estos hallazgos para aclarar los referentes motivacionales y meta cognitivos y promover ideas para investigaciones futuras.