Chapter 14 : Human metacognition and the déjà vu phenomenon

For over a century, the phenomenon of déjà vu has attracted much interest, and in recent times, it has been studied by researchers in various scientifi c fi elds (e.g., Brown, 2003, 2004; Sno & Linszen, 1990). Empirical studies of déjà vu phenomena have used interviews and questionnaires with normal people as well as psychiatric patients (e.g., Neppe, 1983; Sno & Linszen, 1990; Sno, Schalken, de Jonghe, & Koeter, 1994). In this study, we used experiments and surveys to examine human metacognition and the déjà vu phenomenon. This chapter is divided into four parts. First, we defi ne déjà vu using notions from the fi elds of psychology and psychiatry. Second, we propose that déjà vu phenomena involve a component of memory monitoring and that a metacognitive approach (e.g., Chambres, Izaute, & Marescau, 2002) appears to be most suitable for its study. Third, we present highlights of the data obtained from our questionnaire (Kusumi, 1994, 1996) and experimental studies (Matsuda & Kusumi, 2001). Fourth, we propose a déjà vu model based on an analogical reminding mechanism. Finally, we discuss some of the implications of a déjà vu model that involves an adaptive metacognitive mechanism.