The option to withhold answers improves output-bound accuracy, whereas the option to seek help does not consistently do so¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r2 · q3 · i3 large
Currency · newest study 2021 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

Reading the evidence codes

q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.

This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.

q3 i3 In Experiment 2a, compared to the no-choice condition, accuracy of submitted answers was higher in the don't-know condition (d = 0.84) and combination condition (d = 0.65) but not in the help-seeking condition; the omnibus ANOVA showed ηp2 = 0.16. → Monika Undorf 2021 q3 i3 In Experiment 2b, accuracy of submitted answers was marginally higher in the help-seeking condition (d = 0.40) and significantly higher in the don't-know and combination conditions; the omnibus ANOVA showed ηp2 = 0.78. → Monika Undorf 2021 (2)

Evidence¶

Monika Undorf 2021¶

Monika Undorf, Iris Livneh, Rakefet Ackerman. (2021). Metacognitive control processes in question answering: help seeking and withholding answers. Metacognition and Learning. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-021-09259-7

q3 · i3 · causal · r2

Experiment 2a one-way ANOVA across the four conditions on accuracy of submitted answers, F(3, 93) = 5.84, p = 0.001, ηp2 = 0.16. Follow-up t tests showed "higher in the don't-know condition, t(45) = 2.89, p = 0.006, d = 0.84" but no help-seeking benefit.

"Compared to the no-choice condition, accuracy of submitted answers was higher in the don't-know condition, t(45) = 2.89, p = 0.006, d = 0.84, and in the combination condition, t(47) = 2.29, p = 0.026, d = 0.65, but not in the help-seeking condition, t < 1."

Monika Undorf 2021 (2)¶

q3 · i3 · causal · r2

Experiment 2b online replication with monetary incentives; the same ANOVA on submitted-answer accuracy, F(3, 173) = 4.89, p = 0.003, ηp2 = 0.78. Help seeking was only "marginally higher in the help-seeking condition, t(85) = 1.87, p = 0.064, d = 0.40".

"Compared to the no-choice condition, accuracy of submitted answers was marginally higher in the help-seeking condition, t(85) = 1.87, p = 0.064, d = 0.40, and significantly higher in the don't-know, t(83) = 3.84, p < 0.001, d = 0.84, and combination, t(79) = 2.68, p = 0.009, d = 0.60, conditions."

Discussion¶

Participants seek help less often than they withhold answers when both strategies are available or compared across conditions — related
Primary task accuracy is higher in the info-seeking condition than in the explicit reports and wagering conditions — related
Help seeking is guided by a wider variety of considerations beyond improving immediate answer accuracy than withholding answers is — a broader claim this one bears on
The association between confidence and help seeking is weaker than the association between confidence and withholding answers — related
The overlap in confidence ranges between submitted answers and strategy use is larger for help seeking than for withholding answers — related
Allowing opt-out options improves output-bound accuracy in adults, primary-school children, and preschoolers — a broader claim this one bears on

Page metadata

Field	Value
`type`	`claim`
`id`	`withholding-improves-output-bound-accuracy-help-seeking-not`
`title`	`The option to withhold answers improves output-bound accuracy, whereas the option to seek help does not consistently do so`
`description`	`The option to withhold answers improves output-bound accuracy, whereas the option to seek help does not consistently do so`
`status`	`review`
`evidence_strength`	`mixed`
`newest_evidence`	`2021`
`generated`	by `process:wiki-ingest` on `2026-10-19`
`trust`	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
`sources`	2 — `monika-undorf-2021`, `monika-undorf-2021-2`

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