Sneaky Snake: Assessing metacognitive behavior in kindergarten children with an unsolvable task

In the present study, we developed an unsolvable behavioral metacognitive task for kindergarten children. The task was designed to gain insight into how children's monitoring (e.g., checking the plan) and control behavior (e.g., seeking a piece) operate in a problem-solving task that mimics real-life scenarios. Five to six-year-old kindergarten children (N = 72) were asked to build a wooden snake according to a plan. The middle piece of the snake (fourth out of seven pieces) was missing, making the task unsolvable. Other than expected, metacognitive behavior was not related to teacher ratings of metacognitive self-regulation. However, we found age differences. Children in kindergarten year two (M = 5.85 years old) showed more control behavior than children in kindergarten year one (M = 5.05 years old). Surprisingly, we did not find age differences in monitoring behavior. Lastly, we found that metacognitive behavior differed between the solvable part (before the missing piece is reached) and the unsolvable part (after the missing piece is reached). Children showed more monitoring and less control behavior in the solvable intervals than in the unsolvable intervals. The current study contributes to the research methodology to capture metacognitive skills in action by introducing an unsolvable behavioral metacognitive task

Training Primary School Children’s Uncertainty Monitoring

Children’s ability to accurately monitor their performance is crucial for self-regulated learning and academic achievement, but interventions are rare. We evaluated a six-time computerized training to improve young primary school children’s uncertainty monitoring with feedback. We assigned the participants (N = 182; M = 7.47 years) either to a metacognitive group, a performance group, or an active control group. Pre and post training, all participants received a baseline recognition memory assessment and provided confidence judgments on each recognition. During training, children in the metacognitive condition received feedback on their memory accuracy and the correspondence between their memory accuracy and their confidence judgments. Children in the performance condition received solely feedback on their memory accuracy. Children in the active control group solved attention control tasks. Other than expected, results revealed that metacognitive and performance feedback did not improve children’s uncertainty monitoring. Important implications for future intervention studies are discussed

The Longitudinal Relation Between Language Abilities and Metacognitive Monitoring in Native and Non-native Speaking Children

The ability to accurately evaluate one’s task performance (metacognitive monitoring) is crucial for children’s learning and academic achievement. We investigated the role of language abilities for metacognitive monitoring in five to seven years old native and non-native speakers. Data stem from an ongoing German large-scale assessment (National Educational Panel Study) initiated in 2010 (N = 9,167; 49.6 % male). Cross-lagged panel models revealed that earlier language abilities predict later metacognitive monitoring for native (β = -.21) but not for non-native speakers (β = -.07). Conversely, metacognitive monitoring predicted language abilities for non-native (β = .53) but not for native speakers (β = .03). Our results suggest different mechanisms driving native and non-native speakers metacognitive monitoring development

Measurement of the W+bW+b-jet and W+cW+c-jet differential production cross sections in ppˉp\bar{p} collisions at s=1.96\sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV

We present a measurement of the cross sections for the associated production of a $W$ boson with at least one heavy quark jet, $b$ or $c$, in proton-antiproton collisions. Data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 8.7 fb$^{-1}$ recorded with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron \ppbar Collider at $\sqrt{s}=1.96$ TeV are used to measure the cross sections differentially as a function of the jet transverse momenta in the range 20 to 150 GeV. These results are compared to calculations of perturbative QCD theory as well as predictions from Monte Carlo generators.We present a measurement of the cross sections for the associated production of a $W$ boson with at least one heavy quark jet, $b$ or $c$, in proton-antiproton collisions. Data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 8.7 fb$^{-1}$ recorded with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron \ppbar Collider at $\sqrt{s}=1.96$ TeV are used to measure the cross sections differentially as a function of the jet transverse momenta in the range 20 to 150 GeV. These results are compared to calculations of perturbative QCD theory as well as predictions from Monte Carlo generators.We present a measurement of the cross sections for the associated production of a W boson with at least one heavy quark jet, b or c , in proton–antiproton collisions. Data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 8.7 fb−1 recorded with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron pp¯ Collider at s=1.96 TeV are used to measure the cross sections differentially as a function of the jet transverse momenta in the range 20 to 150 GeV. These results are compared to calculations of perturbative QCD theory as well as predictions from Monte Carlo generators

Evidence for Zc±(3900)Z_c^{\pm}(3900) in semi-inclusive decays of bb-flavored hadrons

International audienceWe present evidence for the exotic charged charmoniumlike state Zc±(3900) decaying to J/ψπ± in semi-inclusive weak decays of b-flavored hadrons. The signal is correlated with a parent J/ψπ+π- system in the invariant-mass range 4.2–4.7 GeV that would include the exotic structure Y(4260). The study is based on 10.4  fb−1 of pp¯ collision data collected by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron collider

Measurement of the forward-backward asymmetry in Λb0\Lambda_b^0 and Λ‾b0\overline \Lambda_b^0 baryon production in pp‾p \overline p collisions at s=1.96\sqrt s =1.96 TeV

We measure the forward-backward asymmetry in the production of $\Lambda_b^0$ and $\overline \Lambda_b^0$ baryons as a function of rapidity in $p \overline p$ collisions at $\sqrt s =1.96$ TeV using $10.4$ fb$^{-1}$ of data collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. The asymmetry is determined by the preference of $\Lambda_b^0$ or $\overline \Lambda_b^0$ particles to be produced in the direction of the beam protons or antiprotons, respectively. The measured asymmetry integrated over rapidity $y$ in the range $0.1<|y|<2$ is $A=0.04 \pm 0.07 {\rm (stat)} \pm 0.02 {\rm (syst)}$