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Measuring Mind Wandering During Online Lectures Assessed With EEG
1School of Information Management, Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
|August 26, 2021
Summary
Mind wandering during online lectures reduces learning by shifting attention inward. This cognitive state is linked to specific brain activity patterns and poorer quiz performance in educational settings.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Mind wandering can impair learning in multimedia environments like online lectures.
- This is often explained by attention shifting from material to unrelated thoughts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural correlates of mind wandering during online education.
- To examine the relationship between mind wandering, brain activity, and learning outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Used electroencephalography (EEG) to record brain activity during a 75-minute educational video.
- Participants self-reported mind wandering levels and completed pre/post-lecture quizzes.
- Analyzed EEG spectral power and event-related potentials (ERPs) in relation to reported mind wandering.
Main Results:
- Higher delta, theta, and alpha band activity were observed during mind wandering.
- A decreased P2 ERP amplitude was associated with mind wandering.
- Lower learning gains on quizzes correlated with higher self-reported mind wandering.
Conclusions:
- Mind wandering in e-learning involves a shift of attention from external stimuli to internal thoughts.
- This attentional shift is a likely cause of reduced learning effectiveness in online educational contexts.
