Mind wandering simultaneously prolongs reactions and promotes creative incubation.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Mind wandering (MW) is a common cognitive process involving attention disengagement from tasks.
• MW is linked to attention lapses, impacting task performance negatively.
• Previous research suggests MW may also enhance creativity and future planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the dual impact of mind wandering on cognitive performance.
• To differentiate behavioral costs and benefits associated with MW.
• To explore the dynamical changes in attention during MW.

Main Methods:

• Three experiments were conducted.
• Sustained Attention to Response Tasks (SART) measured reaction times (RT) for behavioral costs.
• Creative problem-solving and daily planning tasks assessed benefits post-SART.

Main Results:

• MW was associated with prolonged RTs during SART, indicating performance costs.
• Improved performance in creative and planning tasks was observed after MW states.
• Increased dispersion of RTs during MW suggested dynamical attention changes.

Conclusions:

• Mind wandering simultaneously incurs behavioral costs and offers cognitive benefits.
• MW negatively affects immediate task performance but can enhance complex cognitive operations.
• Attention dynamics shift during MW, supporting a dual-model of its effects.