Where is my mind? Examining mind-wandering and vigilance performance.
Alexis R Neigel1,2, Victoria L Claypoole3, Nicholas W Fraulini3
1Department of the Behavioral and Leadership Sciences, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, USA. alexis.neigel@usafa.edu.
Experimental Brain Research
|November 29, 2018
Summary
Mind-wandering, treated as an individual difference, did not impair vigilance performance in three studies. Contrary to prior research, higher mind-wandering was linked to better detection, suggesting it may not always hinder sustained attention.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Factors
Background:
- Vigilance, the ability to maintain sustained attention, often declines over time, especially with rare critical signals.
- Mind-wandering has been implicated in vigilance decrements, but measurement methods can be intrusive.
- Previous research suggests mind-wandering negatively impacts vigilance task performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between mind-wandering as an individual difference and vigilance performance.
- To employ a less intrusive method of measuring mind-wandering (pre- and post-vigil) compared to traditional probes.
- To challenge existing literature by exploring alternative associations between mind-wandering and vigilance.
Main Methods:
- Three experimental studies were conducted, measuring mind-wandering as an individual difference before and after vigilance tasks.
- Vigilance performance was assessed through correct detection rates.
- Global workload was measured, and event rate was manipulated in the third experiment.
Main Results:
- The first experiment found higher rates of mind-wandering associated with improved correct detection, contradicting previous findings.
- The second experiment indicated no link between increased mind-wandering and vigilance deficits, but lower mind-wandering correlated with higher perceived workload.
- Mind-wandering typology did not significantly affect vigilance performance when event rate was manipulated.
Conclusions:
- Treating mind-wandering as an individual difference offers a less disruptive approach to studying its role in vigilance.
- Findings challenge the notion that mind-wandering invariably leads to vigilance deficits.
- Individual differences in mind-wandering may have a complex and nuanced relationship with sustained attention and task performance.
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