ABSTRACT
Metamemory, a term introduced by Flavell (1971), is knowledge about memory. Metamemory is important because of its role in regulating behaviors affecting memory, such as use of memory strategies. That is, knowing that a situation poses difficulties for memory can affect a person's memory behaviors in reaction to the situation. In general, there is both long-term knowledge of memory, which is reflected by factual knowledge of the variables affecting memory, and knowledge of the current state of one's memory (i.e., monitoring). Both types of metamemory have been studied extensively by developmental psychologists.
