2025/08/21 by Jackson A. Smith, Anna Dorfman, Neil Wegenschimmel +1 · 1 voice
Neuroscience · Computer Science · #Cognitive Science and Education Research #Cognitive Science and Mapping
paper · doi:10.1037/xge0001821
openalex publication_date 2025/08/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/12
= 499), using event-reconstruction sampling to gather autobiographical reflections on adverse experiences. Participants evaluated their use of four core metacognitive features of wisdom: intellectual humility, recognition of uncertainty and change, perspective taking, and search for a compromise. Our findings challenge prevailing static models and supported a dynamic, context-sensitive account. A network model outperformed latent factor models, suggesting that wisdom comprises interrelated but distinct features rather than a unitary construct. The perceived relevance and use of these features varied across situations and showed lower temporal stability than personality traits or well-being, undermining assumptions of cross-situational consistency. Within-person and between-person patterns also diverged, violating isomorphism. Notably, individuals who reported higher-than-usual self-distancing and distress at one time point also reported elevated levels of wisdom-related features 3 months later, a pattern not observed for other proposed moderators such as social support or subjective appraisals. Together, these findings offer a revised understanding of wisdom and complex thought-as dynamic, context-sensitive processes, rather than fixed traits. Our findings carry implications for the ontological status of wisdom-related constructs and underscore the importance of longitudinal research and more precise temporal claims in psychological science. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).