Fact · Dictation
The same meta-analysis found that describing or explaining one's thoughts and actions changes performance: it was higher than in silent control conditions.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“procedures that entail describing or explaining thoughts and actions are significantly reactive, leading to higher performance than silent control conditions”
Do procedures for verbal reporting of thinking have to be reactive? A meta-analysis and recommendations for best reporting methods, Mark C. Fox et al., Psychological Bulletin, 2011, Abstract.
Open the original (DOI 10.1037/a0021663)- What it measures
- The contrast is between free thinking aloud and directed verbal reports, such as explaining why you did something.
- What it does not show
- Explaining is a different instruction from speaking freely. The abstract reports the direction of the effect, not its size.