Adult-Child Interaction and the Origins of Metacognition

Two studies were conducted to quantify and characterize the metacognitive environment of preschool children and to determine the impact of the metacognitive environment on children’s problem-solving performance. Results revealed a significant amount of two levels of metacognitive content in parents’ verbal directives to children during a problem-solving task, and that children improved on several problem-solving performance measures following help by a parent. However, children who received no help also improved solely as a function of practice. These data fail to support Wertsch’s (1979) social interactional hypothesis as an explanation for the origin of metacognitive skill. The results were interpreted as support for the notion that explanations of the origins of metacognition must take into account both selfregulation and other-regulation in the development of strategic knowledge. Moreover, it does appear to be important to investigate aspects of the environment of the preschooler that may enhance the initial emergence of metacognitive skill.