Metacognition in Groups Answering MH Questions

North Dakota State University, Fargo ND

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Metacognition in groups is considered as one way group members understand how groups process information and perform cognitive tasks. Groups in various formal and informal mental health settings process information and answer questions based on their knowledge. This application examines the metacognition of groups answering mental health questions. The aim is to uncover ways in which group members think about how they work in a group to answer these questions. There is a clear potential for the metacognition of group members to aid groups in better answering these mental health questions. Two experiments are proposed that examine metacognition about group answers to mental health questions and group member metacognition regarding the ways groups reach agreement for an answer to a mental health question. Experiment 1 investigates how the beliefs group members have about their knowledge of a mental health topic influences their judgments about how well they, and their group, can respond to specific mental health questions. Undergraduate students acting alone or as members of six-person groups will be asked to respond to 40 mental health questions. The students will make judgments about their confidence in their answers, their knowledge of particular mental health questions, and what they know about the four mental health domains being considered. These metacognitive judgments will be explored to determine if groups apply better strategies than individuals in using their knowledge when answering mental health questions. Experiment 2 explores the set of beliefs group members have about the way their group interacts while trying to reach consensus on answers to mental health questions. Group members will make a series of judgments that reflect the mental model the members may have about the processes by which a group answer is reached for mental health questions. It is predicted that, if the group members have accurate metacognition and share similar mental models about the way their group achieves consensus, then group answers to the mental health questions will improve, the group interaction will be more efficient, and the group members will be more satisfied with the interaction. Both experiments also test the metacognitive beliefs theory of group performance on cognitive tasks which predicts that the beliefs group members have about the way their group operates and functions influence the group interaction processes, which may directly and indirectly impact the ultimate outcomes of the group interaction, such as more accurate answers to mental health questions