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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 13, 2026

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment

Published on: September 20, 2020

Working memory capacity does not always support future-oriented mind-wandering.

Jennifer C McVay¹, Nash Unsworth², Brittany D McMillan²

¹Department of Psychology.

Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology = Revue Canadienne De Psychologie Experimentale

|March 6, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study found that higher working memory capacity (WMC) was weakly linked to less future-oriented mind-wandering, challenging previous ideas about executive control and future thought. Further research is needed to understand this association.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Neuroscience
Experimental Psychology

Background:

Executive functions, such as working memory capacity (WMC), are theorized to support executive control.
Mind-wandering, particularly future-oriented thought, has been proposed to require executive resources.
Previous research suggested a positive correlation between higher WMC and future-oriented mind-wandering.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between working memory capacity (WMC) and future-oriented task-unrelated thoughts (TUTs).
To evaluate the claim that better executive control allows for more future-oriented thought.

Main Methods:

Reanalysis of thought-report data from two independent studies involving university students.
Assessment of participants' WMC using multiple tasks.
Probing immediate thought content during reading, specifically identifying future-oriented task-unrelated thoughts (TUTs).

Main Results:

Weak to modest negative correlations were found between WMC and future-oriented TUTs.
Contrary to prior findings, higher WMC was associated with slightly less future-oriented TUTs.
The expected positive association between executive control and future-oriented mind-wandering was not robustly supported.

Conclusions:

The association between WMC and future-oriented mind-wandering may be weaker than previously assumed.
The findings suggest potential boundary conditions influencing the relationship between executive control and future-oriented thought.
Further investigation is required to clarify the precise nature of WMC's role in future-oriented mind-wandering.