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Manipulating the temporal locus and content of mind-wandering
Alice Liefgreen1, Marshall A Dalton2, Eleanor A Maguire3
1Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, UK.
Consciousness and Cognition
|February 10, 2020
Summary
Illusory motion influences mind-wandering (MW) by directing thoughts toward the future or past. This manipulation also affects goal orientation and temporal distance in internally-generated thoughts.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- The human brain frequently engages in internally-generated thoughts, a phenomenon known as mind-wandering (MW).
- Previous research indicates that illusory motion (forward or backward) can influence the temporal direction of MW, but its effect on other MW characteristics remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of illusory motion direction on various features of mind-wandering.
- To confirm the efficacy of illusory motion in guiding the temporal orientation of MW.
Main Methods:
- A novel experimental paradigm was employed to present participants with illusory motion stimuli.
- Content analysis was used to examine the characteristics of mind-wandering thoughts generated during the experiment.
Main Results:
- The illusory motion method successfully induced mind-wandering thoughts congruent with the direction of motion.
- Content analyses revealed significant effects of illusory motion direction on goal orientation and temporal distance of MW.
Conclusions:
- Illusory motion serves as a viable method for probing mind-wandering.
- This technique can provide insights into the cognitive mechanisms underlying mind-wandering and its temporal characteristics.
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