CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 368Embodied and Extended CognitionCognitive Science and Education ResearchPhilosophy and Theoretical Science

Supra-personal cognitive control and metacognition

Open access
Shea, Nicholas, Boldt, Annika, Bang, Dan, Yeung, Nick, Heyes, Cecilia, Frith, Chris D.·2014·Trends in Cognitive Sciences
DOI 10.1016/j.tics.2014.01.006PMC PMC3989995
Open this paper in CoChat — free accountOpen PDF

Abstract

The human mind is extraordinary in its ability not merely to respond to events as they unfold but also to adapt its own operation in pursuit of its agenda. This 'cognitive control' can be achieved through simple interactions among sensorimotor processes, and through interactions in which one sensorimotor process represents a property of another in an implicit, unconscious way. So why does the human mind also represent properties of cognitive processes in an explicit way, enabling us to think and say 'I'm sure' or 'I'm doubtful'? We suggest that 'system 2 metacognition' is for supra-personal cognitive control. It allows metacognitive information to be broadcast, and thereby to coordinate the sensorimotor systems of two or more agents involved in a shared task.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.tics.2014.01.006

Cites

16 of 16 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Global broadcast of propositional confidence is important for the public sharing of metacognitive representations in group settings.

    “Finally, global broadcast of propositional confidence is important for the public sharing of metacognitive representations in group settings: We might say to a colleague, “I believe this is the right thing to do,” thereby influencing the course of the group’s decision (Bahrami et al. 2010, Shea et al. 2014).”

    From Metacognition and Confidence: A Review and Synthesis (2024) · cites this paper as Shea et al. 2014

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 60

  1. [1]Block N. Two neural correlates of consciousness Trends Cogn. Sci. 9 2005 46 52 15668096
  2. [5]Kepecs A. Neural correlates, computation and behavioural impact of decision confidence Nature 455 2008 227 231 18690210
  3. [6]Komura Y. Responses of pulvinar neurons reflect a subject's confidence in visual categorization Nat. Neurosci. 16 2013 749 755 23666179
  4. [7]Terrace H.S. Son L.K. Comparative metacognition Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. 19 2009 67 74 19553102
  5. [8]Carruthers P. How we know our own minds: the relationship between mindreading and metacognition Behav. Brain Sci. 32 2009 121 182 19386144
  6. [10]Fernandez-Duque D. Executive attention and metacognitive regulation Conscious. Cogn. 9 2000 288 307 10924249
  7. [11]Drugowitsch J. Pouget A. Probabilistic vs. non-probabilistic approaches to the neurobiology of perceptual decision-making Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. 22 2012 963 969 22884815 PMC3513621
  8. [12]Ernst M.O. Banks M.S. Humans integrate visual and haptic information in a statistically optimal fashion Nature 415 2002 429 433 11807554
  9. [13]Davelaar E.J. Conflict-monitoring and (meta)cognitive control Mayor J. Connectionist Models of Behaviour and Cognition II. Proceedings of the 11th Neural Computation and Psychology Worksho 2009 WorldScientific 91 102
  10. [14]Davis E.L. Metacognitive emotion regulation: children's awareness that changing thoughts and goals can alleviate negative emotions Emotion 10 2010 498 510 20677867 PMC2916181
  11. [15]Shenhav A. The expected value of control: an integrative theory of anterior cingulate cortex function Neuron 79 2013 217 240 23889930 PMC3767969
  12. [16]Sakai K. Task set and prefrontal cortex Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 31 2008 219 245 18558854
  13. [17]Yeung N. Conflict monitoring and cognitive control Ochsner K. Kosslyn S.M. Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Neuroscience Vol. 2 2013 Oxford University Press 275 299
  14. [18]Norman D.A. Shallice T. Attention to action: willed and automatic control of behaviour Davidson R.J. Consciousness and Self-regulation (Advances in Research and Theory, Vol. 4) 1986 Plenum 1 18
  15. [19]Desimone R. Duncan J. Neural mechanisms of selective visual attention Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 18 1995 193 222 7605061
  16. [22]Sumner P. Human medial frontal cortex mediates unconscious inhibition of voluntary action Neuron 54 2007 697 711 17553420 PMC1890004
  17. [23]Custers R. Aarts H. The unconscious will: how the pursuit of goals operates outside of conscious awareness Science 329 2010 47 50 20595607
  18. [27]Summerfield C. Yeung N. Oh, rats! Post-error behavioral adjustment in creatures great and small Nat. Neurosci. 16 2013 1715 1716 24270271
  19. [29]Hasson U. Brain-to-brain coupling: a mechanism for creating and sharing a social world Trends Cogn. Sci. 16 2012 114 121 22221820 PMC3269540
  20. [30]Byrne R. Whiten A. Machiavellian Intelligence: Social Expertise and the Evolution of Intellect in Monkeys, Apes and Humans 1989 Oxford Science Publications
  21. [31]Herrmann E. Humans have evolved specialized skills of social cognition: the cultural intelligence hypothesis Science 317 2007 1360 1366 17823346
  22. [32]Bahrami B. Optimally interacting minds Science 329 2010 1081 1085 20798320 PMC3371582
  23. [33]Fusaroli R. Coming to terms quantifying the benefits of linguistic coordination Psychol. Sci. 23 2012 931 939 22810169
  24. [34]Tenney E.R. Calibration trumps confidence as a basis for witness credibility Psychol. Sci. 18 2007 46 50 17362377
  25. [36]Lausic D. Intrateam communication and performance in doubles tennis Res. Q. Exerc. Sport 80 2009 281 290 19650394
  26. [37]Job V. Ego depletion – Is it all in your head? Implicit theories about willpower affect self-regulation Psychol. Sci. 21 2010 1686 1693 20876879
  27. [38]Hurks P.P.M. Does instruction in semantic clustering and switching enhance verbal fluency in children? Clin. Neuropsychol. 26 2012 1019 1037 22823962
  28. [39]Koriat A. The self-consistency model of subjective confidence Psychol. Rev. 119 2012 80 113 22022833
  29. [40]Bahrami B. Together, slowly but surely: the role of social interaction and feedback on the build-up of benefit in collective decision-making J. Exp. Psychol. Hum. Percept. Perform. 38 2012 3 8 21988362 PMC3268462
  30. [42]Reed N. Implicit knowledge and motor skill: what people who know how to catch don’t know Conscious. Cogn. 19 2010 63 76 19703779
  31. [43]Meiser T. Metacognitive inferences in source memory judgements: the role of perceived differences in item recognition Q. J. Exp. Psychol. 60 2007 1015 1040 17616917
  32. [45]Overgaard M. Sandberg K. Kinds of access: different methods for report reveal different kinds of metacognitive access Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B: Biol. Sci. 367 2012 1287 1296 22492747 PMC3318768
  33. [47]Shea N. Reward prediction error signals are meta-representational Nous 2012 10.1111/j.1468-0068.2012.00863.x PMC4215192 25364041 · DOI
  34. [48]Yue C.L. When disfluency is – and is not – a desirable difficulty: the influence of typeface clarity on metacognitive judgments and memory Mem. Cogn. 41 2013 229 241 22976883
  35. [50]Hoffman Y. Explicit memory for unattended words the importance of being in the ‘no’ Psychol. Sci. 22 2011 1490 1493 22115962
  36. [51]Nardini M. Fusion of visual cues is not mandatory in children Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 107 2010 17041 17046 20837526 PMC2947870
  37. [52]Tomasello M. Why We Cooperate 2009 MIT Press
  38. [53]Sterelny K. The Evolved Apprentice 2012 MIT Press
  39. [54]Matzel L.D. Kolata S. Selective attention, working memory, and animal intelligence Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. 34 2010 23 30 19607858 PMC2784289
  40. [57]Rigoni D. Inducing disbelief in free will alters brain correlates of preconscious motor preparation: the brain minds whether we believe in free will or not Psychol. Sci. 22 2011 613 618 21515737
  41. [59]Yeung N. Summerfield C. Metacognition in human decision-making: confidence and error monitoring Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B: Biol. Sci. 367 2012 1310 1321 22492749 PMC3318764
  42. [60]Pasquali A. Know thyself: metacognitive networks and measures of consciousness Cognition 117 2010 182 190 20825936
  43. [61]Smith J.D. The highs and lows of theoretical interpretation in animal-metacognition research Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B: Biol. Sci. 367 2012 1297 1309 22492748 PMC3318761
  44. [62]Schwartz B. Sources of information in metamemory: judgments of learning and feelings of knowing Psychon. Bull. Rev. 1 1994 357 375 24203520
  45. [63]Gigerenzer G. Probabilistic mental models: a Brunswikian theory of confidence Psychol. Rev. 98 1991 506 528 1961771
  46. [67]Middlebrooks P.G. Sommer M.A. Neuronal correlates of metacognition in primate frontal cortex Neuron 75 2012 517 530 22884334 PMC3418516
  47. [68]Kepecs A. Mainen Z.F. A computational framework for the study of confidence in humans and animals Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B: Biol. Sci. 367 2012 1322 1337 22492750 PMC3318772
  48. [69]Hanks T.D. Elapsed decision time affects the weighting of prior probability in a perceptual decision task J. Neurosci. 31 2011 6339 6352 21525274 PMC3356114
  49. [70]Moreno-Bote R. Decision confidence and uncertainty in diffusion models with partially correlated neuronal integrators Neural Comput. 22 2010 1786 1811 20141474
  50. [71]Zylberberg A. The construction of confidence in a perceptual decision Front. Integr. Neurosci. 6 2012 79 23049504 PMC3448113
  51. [72]Koriat A. How do we know that we know? The accessibility model of the feeling of knowing Psychol. Rev. 100 1993 609 639 8255951
  52. [73]Castel A.D. Illusions of competence and overestimation of associative memory for identical items: evidence from judgments of learning Psychon. Bull. Rev. 14 2007 107 111 17546739
  53. [74]Hertzog C. Episodic feeling-of-knowing resolution derives from the quality of original encoding Mem. Cogn. 38 2010 771 784 PMC2943856 20852240
  54. [75]Koriat A. Subjective confidence in perceptual judgments: a test of the self-consistency model J. Exp. Psychol. Gen. 140 2011 117 139 21299320
  55. [76]Call J. Do apes know that they could be wrong? Anim. Cogn. 13 2010 689 700 20306102
  56. [77]Beran M.J. Smith J.D. Information seeking by rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) and capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) Cognition 120 2010 90 105 PMC3095768 21459372
  57. [78]Foote A.L. Crystal J.D. Metacognition in the rat Curr. Biol. 17 2007 551 555 17346969 PMC1861845
  58. [79]Adams A. Santi A. Pigeons exhibit higher accuracy for chosen memory tests than for forced memory tests in duration matching-to-sample Learn. Behav. 39 2011 1 11 21264568
  59. [80]Templer V.L. Hampton R.R. Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) show robust evidence for memory awareness across multiple generalization tests Anim. Cogn. 15 2012 409 419 22183204 PMC3335934
  60. [82]Le Pelley M.E. Metacognitive monkeys or associative animals? Simple reinforcement learning explains uncertainty in nonhuman animals J. Exp. Psychol. Learn. Mem. Cogn. 38 2012 686 22250905

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Shea, N., Boldt, A., Bang, D., Yeung, N., Heyes, C., & Frith, C. D.
Affiliations
  • King's College London (GB)
  • University of Oxford (GB)
  • Aarhus University (DK)
  • Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging (GB)
Corresponding author
Frith, Chris D.
ORCID
Venue
Trends in Cognitive Sciences
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2014-04
Volume
18
Issue
4
Pages
186-193
ISSN
1364-6613 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.tics.2014.01.006
PMC
PMC3989995
OpenAlex
W2080470571
Cited by
368
References
16
Citations by year
2026: 27 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 58 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 42 · 2020: 31 · 2019: 40 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 25 · 2016: 23 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 6
FWCI
2.25
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Trends in Cognitive Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Wellcome Trust (091593)
  • University of Oxford
  • Economic and Social Research Council (1105810)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Embodied and Extended Cognition
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Cognitive Science and Education Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Philosophy and Theoretical Science
Keywords
cognitive control, metacognition, System 2, sensorimotor interaction, implicit representation, multiple agents
MeSH terms
Animals, Brain, Cognition, Decision Making, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Perception, Thinking

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review