Resumen de Elaboration moderates reliance on metacognitive assessments: The case of confidence in social attitudes, scientific dentity and self-efficacy beliefs
Based on Self-Validation Theory (SVT), the present doctoral dissertation examined for the first time the role of elaboration in moderating reliance on metacognitions. The core notion of SVT is that various kinds of thoughts (i.e., initial cognitions) become more consequential for judgment and action as their perceived validity increases. Previous research has shown that validation processes can apply to any initial cognitions available in mind, regardless of their specific content, valence, and nature. In the present doctoral dissertation, validation processes were applied to three different types of initial cognitions including (1) social attitudes, (2) scientific identity, and (3) self-efficacy beliefs. Most relevant, this doctoral dissertation introduced SVT as a framework capable of identifying unique and testable moderators for validation processes, demonstrating when and for whom metacognitions are more likely to be used. Specifically, this dissertation examined for the first time the role of elaboration in moderating reliance on metacognitions.
The first series of studies of the present doctoral dissertation examined social attitudes as the initial cognition to be validated. Across three studies, participants reported their attitudes toward current social topics (e.g., social media, Ukrainian refugees). Then, attitude confidence was either measured or manipulated, depending on the study. Elaboration was measured by assessing participants need for cognition or manipulated just before the behavioral decision (after forming attitudes and confidence). Attitudes, confidence, and elaboration served as predictors of different behavioral outcomes (e.g., use of social media, actual enrollment in a mentoring program, etc.). As predicted, social attitudes guided behavior. Furthermore, the greater the confidence, the greater the attitude-behavior correspondence (ABC). Interestingly, this doctoral dissertation found for the first time that the effect of already existing attitude confidence (metacognition) in moderating ABC was more likely to occur under high (vs. low) elaboration conditions. Following SVT, these studies showed that elaboration can moderate reliance on metacognition in determining ABC.
The second series of studies included in this doctoral dissertation investigated scientific identity as the initial cognition to be validated. Across a pilot study and three main studies, participants scientific identity was first measured. Then, the confidence with which that identity was held was either measured or manipulated, depending on the study. Next, elaboration was also measured or manipulated, depending on the study. Scientific identity, confidence and elaboration served as predictors of both subjective outcomes (e.g., interest and career choices) and objective consequences (e.g., performance). As expected, results showed that participants scientific identity was more strongly associated with career choices and performance in STEMM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine) as confidence in their scientific identity increased. Therefore, this set of studies served to specify when and for whom scientific identity was more likely to guide relevant outcomes, including career choices and performance. In addition, elaboration was introduced as a new moderator capable of specifying the conditions under which identity confidence is more likely to be taken into consideration. In this second set of studies results showed that reliance on identity-confidence (metacognition) was more likely to occur as the extent of elaboration increased.
The third series of studies of this doctoral dissertation examined self-efficacy (SE) beliefs as the initial cognition to be validated. Across a pilot study and three main studies, participants SE was first measured or manipulated. Confidence in participants SE was also assessed or manipulated, depending on the study. Then, elaboration was measured or manipulated just before the social performance task, keeping SE and confidence unaffected (since it came afterwards). SE, confidence, and elaboration were tested as predictors of performance in several social domains (e.g., discriminating emotions in other people, differentiating between social and computer-generated messages, and lie detection, etc.). As predicted, results revealed that confidence moderated the extent to which SE was associated with performance in social domains. Specifically, SE predicted performance especially for individuals and conditions for which confidence was increased. Therefore, the third set of studies in this doctoral dissertation specified when and for whom SE was more likely to guide social performance. In addition, elaboration was introduced as a new moderator capable of identifying the conditions under which confidence in SE is more likely to be used. According to SVT, it was predicted and found that reliance on SE confidence (metacognition) was more likely to occur as the extent of elaboration increased.
The present doctoral dissertation showed that three different initial cognitions (social attitudes, scientific identity, and self-efficacy beliefs) were more consequential in predicting actual behavior and performance as confidence in those initial cognitions increased. More importantly, this doctoral dissertation provided evidence of the novel conditions that can enhance the likelihood of engaging in greater use of confidence once it is already formed. Results supported the SVT prediction that this process of using metacognitive assessments (confidence) is most likely to occur when people are engaged in considerable thinking at the time of acting. As noted, these effects of elaboration on metacognitive usage were observed across different paradigms, providing convergent evidence. The same pattern of results was observed with diverse initial cognitions (social attitudes, scientific identity, and self-efficacy beliefs) predicting actual behavior and performance through different tasks and approaches, as well as regardless of the type of measure/induction used to assess both confidence and elaboration.
