Metacognition predicts critical thinking ability beyond working memory: Evidence from middle school and university students

Previous studies have shown that metacognition is closely related to critical thinking ability. However, it remains unclear whether the effect of metacognition on critical thinking ability is unique or merely due to the variance shared with working memory. The present research investigated whether metacognition predicted critical thinking ability above and beyond working memory. Measures of these variables were administrated to both university students (n = 362) and middle school students (n = 247). The SEM results showed that metacognition made unique contributions to critical thinking ability even when working memory was controlled for. Further, there was no significant difference regarding the predictions from metacognition and working memory to critical thinking ability between the university and middle school students. Our findings provide a first step toward understanding metacognition as a distinct construct from working memory in relation to critical thinking ability.