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In Medio Stat Virtus: intermediate levels of mind wandering improve episodic memory encoding in a virtual environment
Philippe Blondé1, Dominique Makowski2, Marco Sperduti2
1Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau et Cognition (URP 7536), Institut de Psychologie, Université de Paris, 71 avenue Ed. Vaillant, 92100, Boulogne Billancourt, Ile de France, France. philippe.blonde93@gmail.com.
Psychological Research
|May 25, 2020
Summary
Mind wandering, a shift of attention, impacts episodic memory encoding. Moderate mind wandering during learning in complex environments enhances memory recall, suggesting an optimal attentional balance for remembering scenes.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Memory
Background:
- Episodic memory encoding is sensitive to attentional resource availability.
- Mind wandering involves attention shifting to task-unrelated thoughts.
- The relationship between mind wandering and memory encoding requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of mind wandering during encoding on episodic memory performance.
- To examine memory encoding in an ecological setting using a virtual urban environment.
- To analyze the relationship between mind wandering and recognition memory (Remember-Know-Guess paradigm).
Main Methods:
- Participants navigated a virtual urban environment encountering target scenes for later recognition.
- Thought probes assessed mind wandering during the encoding task.
- Recognition memory was evaluated using the Remember-Know-Guess paradigm.
Main Results:
- A positive linear relationship was found between correctly recognized items and overall mind wandering.
- A reversed U-shaped relationship emerged between 'Remember' responses and mind wandering (online and a posteriori).
- Medium levels of mind wandering correlated with higher probabilities of recollection-based recognition.
Conclusions:
- Optimal episodic memory encoding in complex environments occurs at a medium level of attention.
- This balanced attentional state facilitates global environmental processing without internal distraction or over-focus.
- Mind wandering, within limits, may support effective memory encoding by preventing attentional capture or narrowing.
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