An Introduction to Metacognition for the Paranormal Investigator
by Joe Wetterling Metacognition is "thinking about thinking". While many digital audio recorders and infrared cameras are getting smaller and lighter, the most important tool in paranormal investigation still weighs about eight pounds - and its sitting just above your shoulders.
It may be difficult to fool a camera, whether its made of digital sensors or those in your eyes, but it is in the processing of those images that we can run into trouble. Whatever the source, it is the human mind that considers the data collected during an investigation.
As an introduction to the concept of "thinking about thinking", or metacognition, we'll review the answers to three important, initial questions:
- What is metacognition?
- Why is it important to an investigator?
- How can an investigator or group start applying metacognition?
What is metacognition?
Metacognition is "thinking about thinking" - evaluating your thought processes to find errors, oversights, and room for improvement. Practicing metacognition involves thinking about why you made a certain decision or found a particular solution to a problem.
Metacognition is often referred to in education literature. This is due to the value of evaluating our thought process in any discipline. Skill at metacognition never grows stale; as technology changes and our understanding of the world changes, we should continue to reevaluate our basic processes. This helps makes us "successful problem solvers and lifelong learners"1 - exactly what a paranormal investigator should be.
Why is it important to an investigator?
Paranormal investigation borrows from many sources. The problems we address can touch on a variety of fields, such as history, architecture, psychology, sociology, physics, mythology, and religion. Knowledge of a specific field can be critical to reaching the correct conclusion - electricity, optics, acoustics, or, yes, even plumbing can provide the key insight.
No one can be an expert in every field, so it is important to question our assumptions and biases, to consider how what we know and don't know can impact a conclusion. Metacognitive processes are intended to guide us through asking those questions and, at times, to enlist the help of others in asking better and more thorough questions.
How can an investigator or group start applying metacognition?
The word "metacognition" implies though - an internal process or inner monologue. However, open and honest communication in a group can be a tremendous help is practicing metacognition; others in a group may brings up ideas and options you would never have considered otherwise.
The simplest way to begin is to honestly question your assumptions, asking questions like, "Why did I come to that conclusion?" Discussing decisions and alternatives in a group can serve to improve your thinking more - and more quickly.
References
- Blakey, Elaine and Spence, Sheila. Developing Metacognition. ERIC Clearinghouse on Information Resources, Syracuse, NY. Published 11-1990. Online, accessed 6-3-2006. http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9218/developing.htm
- Encyclopedia of Educational Technology. "Metacogntion". Online, accessed 6-2-2006. http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/articles/metacognition/start.htm