The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the knowledge teenagers have about their cognitive abilities, the metacognitive knowledge, measures up to their real performance in some cognitive tasks and in which level it is related to their self-esteem. Sixty-one students, both genders, ages between 16 and 18 years, from two differents senior classes of a private school in São Paulo state, participated in this study. They were submitted to three different psychological tests: the Raven's Progressive Matrices test, the Metacognition Scale (EMETA) and the Rosemberg Self-esteem Test. The scores on the three measures were correlated, and the results indicate the existence of a strong correlation between the scores of the Metacognition Scale and the Self-esteem Test. These results confirm one of the initial hypothesis that some of the participants' metacognitive components could be related to their self-esteem levels.
Self esteem; metacognition; intelligence