The Utility of Mental Model Assessment in Diagnosing Cognitive and Metacognitive Processes for Complex Training

Abstract

This paper illustrates the utility of mental model assessment in discriminating between high and low performers in terms of cognitive and metacognitive processes. Distinct computer-based knowledge elicitation methods were utilized to assess the acquisition of different knowledge types as well as the development of participants' mental models when training for a complex task. Additionally, participants' metacognitive accuracy was also measured. Results suggest that mental model assessment is diagnostic of knowledge acquisition for a complex task and mental model accuracy is related to accuracy in metacognitive processes.