Cited by 224Memory Processes and InfluencesCognitive Functions and MemoryMemory and Neural Mechanisms

Errors committed with high confidence are hypercorrected.

Butterfield, Brady, Metcalfe, Janet·2001·Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition

Abstract

The relation between people's confidence in the accuracy of an erroneous response and their later performance was investigated. Most models of human memory suggest that the higher a person's confidence, the stronger the item (in the context of the eliciting cue) that is retrieved from memory. In recall, stronger associates to a cue interfere with competing associates more than do weaker associates. This state of affairs implies that errors endorsed with high, rather than low, confidence should be more difficult to correct by learning the correct response feedback. In contrast to the authors' expectations, highly confident errors were the most likely to be corrected in a subsequent retest. Participants nearly always endorsed the correct response in cases in which both the correct response and the original erroneous response were generated at retest, suggesting that people possess a refined metacognitive ability to know what is correct and incorrect.

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Crossref · 10.1037/0278-7393.27.6.1491

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  • Greater attention is given to feedback that does not match expectations.

    “There is also evidence that greater attention is given to feedback that does not match expectations (e.g., Butterfield & Metcalfe, 2001;Fazio & Marsh, 2009)”

    From The benefit of generating errors during learning (2014) · cites this paper as Butterfield & Metcalfe, 2001

  • The hypercorrection effect is due to corrective feedback being more surprising for high-confidence errors, and ensuing increased arousal facilitates encoding of the correct answer.

    “The authors suggested that this effect is due to the corrective feedback being more surprising for high-confidence errors than for low-confidence errors, and that the ensuing increased arousal facilitates encoding of the correct answer.”

    From Predicting as a learning strategy (2021) · cites this paper as Butterfield & Metcalfe, 2001

  • The hypercorrection effect is the finding that erroneous responses committed with high confidence are more likely to be corrected than erroneous responses committed with low confidence.

    “The hypercorrection effect refers to the finding that erroneous responses committed with high confidence are more likely to be corrected than erroneous responses committed with low confidence (Butterfield & Metcalfe, 2001).”

    From Predicting as a learning strategy (2021) · cites this paper as Butterfield & Metcalfe, 2001

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Authors
Butterfield, B., & Metcalfe, J.
Affiliations
Columbia University (US)
Venue
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition
Published
2001
Volume
27
Issue
6
Pages
1491-1494
ISSN
  • 0278-7393 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1285
OpenAlex
W2003949574
Cited by
223
References
33
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 14
FWCI
0.17
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Experimental Psychology Learning Memory and Cognition (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health (MH8066)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Keywords
metacognition, memory confidence, memory errors, error correction, metacognitive confidence, retrieval interference, associative strength, metacognitive accuracy
MeSH terms
Adult, Female, Humans, Knowledge of Results, Psychological, Learning, Male, Memory, Self-Assessment

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