1 of 1

Achievement Goals and Metacomprehension Accuracy

Charlie Hall, Kenji Ikeda, Kou Murayama, Mo Ally, Carole L. Yue, and Alan D. Castel

University of California, Los Angeles

QUESTION: How do working memory and achievement goals influence metacomprehension accuracy?

CONCLUSIONS &

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

• Significant effects of achievement goals on metacomprehension accuracy were not replicated
• Performance goals lead to more confidence without higher performance
• Further research may examine the effects of question types on both achievment goals and metacomprehesnion

MATERIALS & PROCEDURE

RESULTS (n = 61)

BACKGROUND

Accurate metacomprehension, a person’s ability to monitor their understanding, requires attention to object-level, processes, the material being studied, and meta-level processes, the accuracy of their own understanding. Higher working memory capacity (WMC), the ability to more accurately attend to information, has previously been thought to lead to accurate metacomprehension because higher WMC allows both object and meta-level processes to take place. The present study examined these findings in the context of two achievement goal types: mastery and performance goal settings. Mastery goal settings focus on the development of competence and improvement of mental ability. Performance goal settings focus on a normative performance in relation to peers.

REFERENCES

Thiede, Anderson, & Therriault, 2003; Griffin, Wiley, & Thiede,2008; Guthrie et al., 2012; Nolen, 1988;

​

Contact Charlie at charlieh15@ucla.edu for more information.

Part 1

Part 2:Passages

6 passages on different topics

e.g., IQ, Ice Age, Food Allergies

Test on Passages 1-6

Part 2A

Part 2B

Question Types

Working Memory Capacity

1. Digit Span Task
2. Spatial Span Task
3. Reading Span Task

Low WMC

High WMC

Passages

Passage 6

​

Passage 5

​

Passage 4

​

Passage 3

​

Passage 2

​

Passage 1

​

Reading Comprehension &

Confidence Judgment Test

Unimportant: Nonessential components of the text

Important: Essential components of the text

Inference: Related concepts not explicitly stated within the text

Important

​

Which of the following are the most important functions of bacteria in the digestive tract?

​

a) Check the growth of parasites, pathogenic fungi, and yeast

b) Provide a nutrient source to the body

c) Manufacture B-vitamins and folic acid

d) Kill a broader range of superbugs

Inference

​

Which of the following is implied by the text?

​

a) Grandparents will tend to have higher IQ scores than their grandchildren

b) Grandparents will tend to have lower IQ scores than their grandchildren

c) Grandparents will have the same IQ scores as their grandchildren

d) IQ tests have only existed for 20 years, so no one knows

Unimportant

​

How long ago did the latest ice age end?

​

a) Approximately 15,000 years ago

b) Approximately 100,000 years ago

c) Approximately 150,000 years ago

d) Approximately 2.5 million years ago

EXAMPLE

QUESTIONS

Question Types

​

Performance goal settings led to more significant performance on important questions

Comprehension Judgments

​

Performance goal settings led to higher comprehension judgments although performance was not significantly different between achievement goal settings