Isolating domain-specific and domain-general contributions to global confidence

While metacognition - our ability to evaluate our own cognitive processes - has been extensively studied by measuring trial-by-trial self-assessments of task performance (local confidence), real-world decisions often require a broader perspective, drawing on evaluations of performance over wider timespans (global confidence). Despite its pervasive influence on decision-making and mental health, it remains unknown whether global confidence is formed through similar or distinct processes across cognitive domains. Here we employ a novel gamified approach to compare how global confidence is formed in the domains of memory and perception. In memory, we found that both local accuracy and confidence contributed to global confidence, whereas in perception, global confidence was predicted by local confidence alone. By comparing the formation of global confidence across domains, our study provides new insights into the mechanisms underpinning self-evaluation, paving the way for the development of metacognitive interventions in education and psychiatry.