Metacognitive control: Shifting from habitual to agenda processes on item selection during study in elementary school children.
BACKGROUND
Like adults, children need to allocate study time and endeavour optimally in order to enhance learning effectiveness.


AIMS
The aim of this study was to investigate the development of shifting from habitual to agenda-based processes on study decisions.


SAMPLE
The participants were 309 children in the second, fourth, and sixth grades.


METHODS
We adopted the research paradigm proposed by Ariel and Dunlosky (2013, Mem. Cognit., 41, 416). In Experiment 1, the students selected items to study either with or without time constraint. In Experiment 2, the students were instructed to select all three items or one item to study per trial.


RESULTS
The results of Experiment 1 showed that for sixth graders, the likelihood of selecting high-value items under the restricted-study-time condition was higher than that under the restricted-total-time condition; second and fourth graders failed to construct an agenda of prioritizing high-reward items for study in the restricted-study-time condition. In Experiment 2, when students were instructed to select one item to study per trial, high-value items were prioritized over items on the left of the array for sixth graders; on the contrary, second and fourth graders seemed to choose item for study arbitrary, although they tend to choose high-value items compared with their choice pattern in no-choice-limit condition.


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate that children can shift towards agenda-based process when habitual responding cannot maximize reward, and there is an age-related improvement in shifting between grade 4 and grade 6.
['Li|Weijian|W|', 'Ji|Haojie|H|', 'Li|Fengying|F|', 'Li|Ping|P|', 'Zhang|Yuchi|Y|', 'Li|Xinyu|X|http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3828-0971']
D002648:Child D002657:Child Development D002755:Choice Behavior D056344:Executive Function D005260:Female D006801:Humans D007858:Learning D008297:Male D000067489:Metacognition
elementary school children habitual responding agenda-based regulation study decision-making