Perceptual metacognition and self-esteem: the role of feedback valence in local and global monitoring bias

Previous studies suggest that individuals with low self-esteem tend to undervalue themselves, a tendency that may reflect a metacognitive monitoring bias, which in turn can be shaped by feedback valence. However, research specifically exploring how self-esteem and feedback valence affect metacognitive monitoring remains scarce. Through three experiments, the study revealed that individuals tend to exhibit an underestimation bias in perceptual metacognitive monitoring. However, compared to individuals with high self-esteem, those with low self-esteem exhibited more pronounced local and global monitoring biases in the absence of feedback. Furthermore, feedback valence influenced both local and global metacognitive monitoring in low self-esteem individuals, whereas its effects in high self-esteem individuals were limited to global monitoring. Additionally, feedback valence reduced global monitoring disparities between self-esteem groups, while only positive feedback narrowed the gap in local monitoring. These findings suggest that the influence of feedback valence on metacognitive monitoring biases varies depending on both self-esteem level and the level of monitoring. These results provide valuable insights into the interplay among self-esteem, metacognitive monitoring and feedback, with implications for the development of targeted educational strategies, particularly for individuals with low self-esteem.