Metacognition: How the brain evaluates decisions to shape self-awareness

Scientific research into metacognition—the brain's ability to think about its own thinking—reveals that self-awareness is an automatic biological process used to evaluate decision-making.

According to neuroscientist Steve Fleming, the brain continues to process information even after a choice is made, effectively checking if it "got it right,"  News.Az reports, citing Knowable Magazine.

This evaluation involves specific stages of processing in the frontopolar areas of the cortex, which are highly developed in humans. Studies show that accurate metacognition is linked to an open-minded worldview; individuals who acknowledge their views might be wrong are better at seeking new information and updating their beliefs.

Conversely, a pervasive sense of underconfidence is often tied to anxiety and depression. Interestingly, these individuals do not perform tasks any worse than others, but they fail to "learn" from their successes or update their beliefs about their own abilities. Over time, these signals from the brain help individuals develop a more accurate understanding of the world and their own performance.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova