A Novel Lens on Metacognition in Visualization

Metacognition, or the awareness and regulation of one’s own cognitive processes, allows individuals to take command of their learning and decision making in various contexts. In tasks that require problem-solving and adaptive learning, individuals with heightened metacognitive awareness tend to outperform others, as they are better equipped to regulate cognition, leading to more effective processes. On the other hand, visualization research facilitates exploration and decision making with data. We posit that metacognitive frameworks that examine how individuals think about their own thinking processes can likewise enhance visualization processes. In this paper, we review metacognition literature from the cognitive and learning science to identify opportunities in visualization to improve people’s ability to reason with data. We propose the use of a metacognitive framework, serving as a starting point to inspire future research to improve visualization practices and outcomes.