Escala de Metacognição - Sênior : evidências de validade, precisão e normas iniciais para idosos
Abstract
Metacognition can be defined as knowledge and cognition about the cognitive
phenomenon, referring to thoughts and knowledge that individuals have about their
own thoughts and cognitive processes. Two of its basic elements are: the metacognitive
knowledge, which involves consciousness about processes and competencies that are
necessary for accomplishing certain tasks; and metacognitive monitoring, which
includes judging the effectiveness of strategies and establishing new ones. As such,
metacognition plays an important role in the daily life of the elderly, influencing social
functions, quality of life and self-efficacy. Prior to this project, a scale to evaluate
metacognitive skills was developed, focused on metacognitive knowledge and
cognitive monitoring, called the Metacognition Scale-Senior (EMETA-S). Additional
studies were needed to demonstrated the validity and improve the EMETA-S. The aim
of the studies presented here was to improve the first version of this instrument by
means of new analyses of validity based on the internal structure, scale precision and
relation with other variables such as gender, schooling and age. The temporal stability
of the reformulated scale was also investigated. The model found in the Exploratory
Factor Analysis was tested by means of a Factorial Confirmatory Analysis, to verify
the adjustment to the theoretical model. In addition, a validity analysis based was
conducted on the relationship with an external variable (Mini Mental State
Examination) Finally, the initial norms for a scale of schooling and age were
elaborated. The EMETA-S was constituted of a single factor of 34 items and presented
internal consistency measured by Cronbach's alpha of 0.92. There was a statistically
significant difference in scores related to: schooling and age. The correlation between
EMETA-S and MEEM was r = 0.43, considered good for instruments measuring
related constructs. The results demonstrated that the EMETA-S can be considered a
promising tool in the evaluation of the elderly.