metacognition

[ met-uh-kog-nish-uh n ]

/ ˌmɛt ə kɒgˈnɪʃ ən /

noun Psychology.

higher-order thinking that enables understanding, analysis, and control of one’s cognitive processes, especially when engaged in learning.

Nearby words

metachromophil, metachronous, metachrosis, metacinnabar, metacinnabarite, metacognition, metacomet, metacomputer, metacryst, metadata, metaethics

Origin of metacognition

First recorded in 1975–80; meta- + cognition

Related forms

met·a·cog·ni·tive [met-uh-kog-ni-tiv] /ˌmɛt əˈkɒg nɪ tɪv/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for metacognition

metacognition

/ (ˌmɛtəkɒɡˈnɪʃən) /

noun

psychol thinking about one's own mental processes

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012