Which term describes the ability to think about one's own thinking?

Which term describes the ability to think about one's own thinking?

• A. Animism
• B. Object Permanence
• C. Metacognition
• D. Equilibrium

Answer: (C)

Metacognition is the ability to think about one’s own thinking. It means being aware of what you know and don’t know, and actively managing your mental processes: planning how to tackle a problem, monitoring your understanding as you work, and reflecting afterward to see what worked. In practice, metacognition shows up when a student previews a task, sets goals, checks comprehension during reading, and adjusts strategies if progress stalls. The other terms describe different ideas: animism involves attributing life to inanimate objects, object permanence is the understanding that things continue to exist even when not seen, and equilibrium in Piaget’s theory refers to balancing new information with existing ideas. Metacognition is what drives self-regulated learning and more effective problem-solving by focusing on thinking about thinking and regulating cognitive effort.

Metacognition is the ability to think about one’s own thinking. It means being aware of what you know and don’t know, and actively managing your mental processes: planning how to tackle a problem, monitoring your understanding as you work, and reflecting afterward to see what worked. In practice, metacognition shows up when a student previews a task, sets goals, checks comprehension during reading, and adjusts strategies if progress stalls. The other terms describe different ideas: animism involves attributing life to inanimate objects, object permanence is the understanding that things continue to exist even when not seen, and equilibrium in Piaget’s theory refers to balancing new information with existing ideas. Metacognition is what drives self-regulated learning and more effective problem-solving by focusing on thinking about thinking and regulating cognitive effort.