ABSTRACT
The importance of metacognition, in the evolution of human consciousness, has been emphasized by thinkers going back hundreds of years. While it is clear that people have metacognition, even when it is strictly defined as it is here, whether any other animals share this capability is the topic of this chapter. The empirical data on nonhuman metacognition are reviewed. It is concluded that three monkeys have now shown evidence of metacognition. Even in these primates, however, the capabilities are limited. Despite claims that rats have metacognition, the data can be explained in terms of mere conditioning contingencies. No other species has been shown to have metacognition. Thus, metacognition appears to be a very recently evolved capability. It is one that may confer on humans an ability to escape from being stimulus bound and allow self-control of their learning and actions.
