You know the little voice in your head that (hopefully) kicks in when you’re doing something stupid and tells you to “hold on just a minute…” You also probably recall times when the little voice failed to kick-in and you did something that you instantly regretted.

Psychologists call the little voice “metacognition”. It sounds intimidating but actually the term metacognition has been used by educators for many years. Metacognition is now recognized one of the essential qualities needed for effective learning. Without that little voice acting as the brain’s “command center” we would probably not question what we are doing and learn new behaviors.

Metacognition is the brain’s higher level reasoning control center. It is similar in concept to emotional intelligence popularized by Danial Goleman, however this deals more with the emotional control centers of the brain.

If you have read this far you are probably saying “so what!” Well, if you are hiring or promoting people in your organization you need to consider their ability to improvise, adapt, and overcome (as the Marines would say it). These are skills that are important in the current challenging climate – and to be successful, they depend on our metacognative thinking ability.

Knowing someone’s metacognative ability would be useful when making a hiring or promotion decision, but without a way to measure an indiviual’s metacognitive skills it is of very little practical use. Luckily there is a way to assess metacognition using a computer based simulation called the Cognitive Processes Profile – or CPP.
The CPP is a laptop based assessment that takes about an hour and a half to complete. It tracks an individual’s ability to monitor and control their own thinking and it is also able to assess problem solving abilities and the person’s judgment quality.

If you are considering hiring or promoting someone into a position that requires sound judgment and well developed thinking skills then busing a well researched assessment tool such as the CPP can provide you with valuable information for your decision.