Final answer:
The statement is true; people with strong metacognitive skills indeed pay careful attention to their thought processes. Metacognition involves conscious regulation and reflection on one's own thinking, leading to better decision-making and learning strategies.
Step-by-step explanation:
True or false: People who have good metacognitive skills pay attention to what they are doing when they are thinking.
True. Individuals with good metacognitive skills indeed pay close attention to their thought processes. Metacognition involves self-awareness and the regulation of one's own thinking, often through higher-order thinking skills. Activities that demonstrate strong metacognitive awareness include planning, monitoring, and evaluating one's cognitive strategies and performances in tasks such as learning, comprehension, and problem-solving. Therefore, one part of metacognition is the conscious attention to and reflection upon one's own thinking processes.
Metacognition means thinking about thinking and involves critical reflection on how one understands and processes information. It represents an advanced level of thought wherein individuals actively control their own cognitive processes, engaging in activities such as checking their work, planning ahead, making inferences, and gauging their understanding—efforts that require an intentional and focused mind.
By practicing reflective thinking and critical self-assessment, individuals can improve their abilities to learn and comprehend complex concepts, like those found in philosophical texts. They can also manage their cognitive biases more effectively, making decisions that are less prone to error and more grounded in rational analysis.