Retrospective confidence judgments: Meta-analysis of fMRI studies
The confidence in our retrieved memories, i.e. retrospective confidence, is a metamemory process we perform daily. There is a wide variety of applied research focused on this metamemory judgements and a very diverse studies including a wide a range of clinical populations. Yet, the neural correlates that support its functioning are not well defined. We used the activation likelihood estimation method (ALE) on the 18 eligible studies in the functional magnetic resonance imaging literature available on the topic. The main analysis of confidence revealed concordant bilateral activation in the parahippocampal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, right amygdala and right caudate. These activations support the involvement of a frontoparietal network in metamemory evaluations, and the requirement of the medial temporal lobe. Activations for the exploratory high > low subtraction analysis were also noticed in the main analysis on retrospective confidence, whereas in our exploratory low > high subtraction analyses showed distinctive activations of the right precuneus, previously attributed to low confident evaluations.