The Dynamic Changes in Metamemory Judgments as Items and Lists are Presented

Metamemory judgments refer to people's memory monitoring, which is crucial in regulating learning activities and improving learning efficiency. Previous studies on judgments of learning (JOLs) often overlooked the dynamic nature of JOLs over time, especially with the continuous learning of new material. In five experiments (combined N  = 308) and a meta-analysis, this study demonstrated a gradually declining pattern of JOLs with item presentation and a two-stage (rapid adjustment and stabilization) pattern of JOLs with list presentation across multiple lists. The different patterns of JOLs displayed within and across lists may indicate that judgment experience and test experience (coupled with judgment experience) have different intensities in updating and adjusting memory beliefs and JOLs. This study extends the applicability of the anchoring-and-adjustment heuristic to explain how JOLs dynamically change when learning multiple lists. The flexible adjustment mechanism of JOLs and beliefs over time have potential implications for memory.