Two children are participating in a memory research: Heather, a preschooler, and Illeana, a sixth grader. When the children fail a particular recall task, the researcher asks each child what she might do to succeed at the task the next time. Heather suggests that she would simply try again; Illeana proposes that she would try to write the items down. The difference in the girls' responses most clearly illustrates an increase in _____ during childhood.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Metacognitive ability refers to the awareness and understanding of one's own cognitive processes, including memory. Illeana's response indicates that she has developed the ability to evaluate her own memory strategies and make effective changes, whereas Heather's response suggests a more simplistic approach without this metacognitive awareness. Memory capacity may be a factor in the children's ability to complete the recall task, but it is not the focus of the question. Operational thinking and proximal development may be related to cognitive development in childhood more broadly, but they are not directly related to the difference in the children's responses to the recall task.

Two Children Are Participating in a Memory Research: Heather, a Preschooler