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A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
10:38

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Published on: July 16, 2015

Aging and mind wandering during text comprehension.

Sabine A Krawietz1, Andrea K Tamplin1, Gabriel A Radvansky1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame.

Psychology and Aging
|June 13, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Older adults mind wander less than younger adults, challenging theories linking mind wandering to reduced cognitive control. Text interest, not age, appears to be the key factor influencing mind wandering rates.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience of Aging
  • Attention Studies

Background:

  • Mind wandering, or task-unrelated thought, is theorized to stem from attentional control and working memory (WM) capacity.
  • Conflicting theories propose mind wandering is linked to either decreased (lower WM) or increased (higher WM) attentional control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between aging, attentional control, working memory, and mind wandering.
  • To test competing theories of mind wandering by examining older adults' mind wandering rates.

Main Methods:

  • Two experiments compared mind wandering rates in older and younger adults.
  • Text interest was used as a covariate to analyze its effect on mind wandering.

Main Results:

  • Older adults demonstrated a lower frequency of mind wandering compared to younger adults.
  • The age-related difference in mind wandering diminished when text interest was statistically controlled.

Conclusions:

  • Findings challenge the notion that reduced attentional control in older adults inherently increases mind wandering.
  • Text interest and internal thought processes, rather than age-associated cognitive decline, may be more critical determinants of mind wandering.