Research shows how self-assessments can influence learning success
How do predictions about one's own memory affect learning success? A research group at the Institute of Psychology at TU Darmstadt investigated this question. In a recently published meta-study, Franziska Ingendahl, together with Professor Monika Undorf (TU Darmstadt) and Professor Vered Halamish (Bar-Ilan University, Israel), investigated judgments of learning (JOLs) – self-assessments during learning – influence later memory performance.
The results were published in the renowned journal Psychological Bulletin .
Metacognition as the key to learning success
"Metacognition is the ability to reflect on one's own knowledge and learning," explains Ingendahl. "Learners must assess for themselves whether they are well prepared—and if not, how to adapt their learning." Such metacognitive skills are crucial for school and academic performance.
The current meta-analysis is based on 344 findings from 175 experiments with approximately 15,000 participants . It investigated whether and to what extent asking for JOLs influences memory performance.
Small but measurable effects
The analysis shows that self-assessments can improve memory performance to a small extent—especially with easier, content-related learning materials such as word pairs ("dog – cat"). For more difficult or unrelated content, the effect may be absent or even negative.
"Our work shows that while JOLs can make a difference, they don't always," says Ingendahl. Different constraints such as learning environments, test formats, and types of materials play a major role.
Significance for research and practice
For around ten years, researchers have been investigating whether learning assessments are more than mere self-reports. The current meta-study provides the first systematic evaluation of these effects.
Ingendahl sees a need for further research: "We need to understand more precisely how people assess their learning processes, which strategies they use, and where misconceptions exist. Only then can we provide targeted support to make learning more sustainable."
publication
The study was published under the following title:
Do immediate judgments of learning alter memory performance? A meta-analytical review. Ingendahl, F., Halamish, V., & Undorf, M. (2025). Psychological Bulletin, 151(7), 892–929.
DOI: 10.1037/bul0000487
(Darmstadt - Red/TU)
