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Daniel Smilek - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Mind Wandering across the age gap age related differences in Mind Wandering are partially attributable to age related differences in motivation
Journals of Gerontology Series B-psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 2020Co-Authors: Paul Seli, Daniel Smilek, Jonathan S. A. Carriere, Roger E Beaty, Kevin Oneill, Daniel L. SchacterAbstract:Objectives A common finding in the Mind-Wandering literature is that older adults (OAs) tend to Mind-wander less frequently than young adults (YAs). Here, we sought to determine whether this age-related difference in Mind-Wandering is attributable to age-related differences in motivation. Method YAs and OAs completed an attention task during which they responded to thought probes that assessed rates of Mind-Wandering, and they provided self-reports of task-based motivation before and after completion of the attention task. Results Age-related differences in Mind-Wandering are partially explained by differences in motivation, and that motivating young adults via incentive diminishes Mind-Wandering differences across these groups. Discussion We consider these results in the context of theories on age-related differences in Mind Wandering, with a specific focus on their relevance to the recently proposed motivational account of such age-related differences.
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disengagement during lectures media multitasking and Mind Wandering in university classrooms
Computers in Education, 2019Co-Authors: Jeffrey D Wammes, Caitlin Mills, Nigel Bosch, Brandon C W Ralph, Tracy L Duncan, Daniel SmilekAbstract:Abstract In university classrooms, the use of laptops or smartphones for purposes unrelated to the lecture is on the rise. Consequently, it is important to understand how frequently this behavior occurs, to track whether it increases throughout a lecture, and to quantify the potential costs to learning. In two studies, we measured rates of disengagement during lectures related to media use (i.e. media multitasking; Studies 1 & 2) and lecture-unrelated thoughts (i.e. Mind Wandering; Study 2). We also measured the impact of these behaviors on learning using quiz questions at the end of each lecture, and students’ actual course tests. In both Study 1 and 2, we found that rates of media multitasking were relatively high and increased as time elapsed in a lecture, while in Study 2, consistent with prior work, rates of Mind Wandering remained relatively stable. Interestingly, media multitasking - but not Mind Wandering - was associated with negative learning outcomes.
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how pervasive is Mind Wandering really
Consciousness and Cognition, 2018Co-Authors: Paul Seli, Daniel Smilek, Roger E Beaty, James Allan Cheyne, Jonathan M Oakman, Daniel L. SchacterAbstract:Recent claims that people spend 30-50% of their waking lives Mind Wandering (Killingsworth & Gilbert, 2010; Kane et al., 2007) have become widely accepted and frequently cited. While acknowledging attention to be inconstant and wavering, and Mind Wandering to be ubiquitous, we argue and present evidence that such simple quantitative estimates are misleading and potentially meaningless without serious qualification. Mind-Wandering estimates requiring dichotomous judgments of inner experience rely on questionable assumptions about how such judgments are made, and the resulting data do not permit straightforward interpretation. We present evidence that estimates of daily-life Mind Wandering vary dramatically depending on the response options provided. Offering participants a range of options in estimating task engagement yielded variable Mind-Wandering estimates, from approximately 60% to 10%, depending on assumptions made about how observers make introspective judgments about their Mind-Wandering experiences and how they understand what it means to be on- or off-task.
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Mind Wandering as a natural kind a family resemblances view
Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 2018Co-Authors: Paul Seli, Michael J. Kane, Daniel L. Schacter, Jonathan Smallwood, Jonathan W. Schooler, David Maillet, Daniel SmilekAbstract:As empirical research on Mind-Wandering accelerates, we draw attention to an emerging trend in how Mind-Wandering is conceptualized. Previously articulated definitions of Mind-Wandering differ from each other in important ways, yet they also maintain overlapping characteristics. This conceptual structure suggests that Mind-Wandering is best considered from a family-resemblances perspective, which entails treating it as a graded, heterogeneous construct and clearly measuring and describing the specific aspect(s) of Mind-Wandering that researchers are investigating. We believe that adopting this family-resemblances approach will increase conceptual and methodological connections among related phenomena in the Mind-Wandering family and encourage a more nuanced and precise understanding of the many varieties of Mind-Wandering.
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on the clock evidence for the rapid and strategic modulation of Mind Wandering
Psychological Science, 2018Co-Authors: Paul Seli, Evan F. Risko, Daniel L. Schacter, Jonathan S. A. Carriere, Jeffrey D Wammes, Daniel SmilekAbstract:We examined the hypothesis that people can modulate their Mind Wandering on the basis of their expectations of upcoming challenges in a task. To this end, we developed a novel paradigm in which participants were presented with an analog clock, via a computer monitor, and asked to push a button every time the clock’s hand was pointed at 12:00. Importantly, the time at which the clock’s hand was pointed at 12:00 was completely predictable and occurred at 20-s intervals. During some of the 20-s intervals, we presented thought probes to index participants’ rates of Mind Wandering. Results indicated that participants decreased their levels of Mind Wandering as they approached the predictable upcoming target. Critically, these results suggest that people can and do modulate their Mind Wandering in anticipation of changes in task demands.
Paul Seli - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Mind Wandering across the age gap age related differences in Mind Wandering are partially attributable to age related differences in motivation
Journals of Gerontology Series B-psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 2020Co-Authors: Paul Seli, Daniel Smilek, Jonathan S. A. Carriere, Roger E Beaty, Kevin Oneill, Daniel L. SchacterAbstract:Objectives A common finding in the Mind-Wandering literature is that older adults (OAs) tend to Mind-wander less frequently than young adults (YAs). Here, we sought to determine whether this age-related difference in Mind-Wandering is attributable to age-related differences in motivation. Method YAs and OAs completed an attention task during which they responded to thought probes that assessed rates of Mind-Wandering, and they provided self-reports of task-based motivation before and after completion of the attention task. Results Age-related differences in Mind-Wandering are partially explained by differences in motivation, and that motivating young adults via incentive diminishes Mind-Wandering differences across these groups. Discussion We consider these results in the context of theories on age-related differences in Mind Wandering, with a specific focus on their relevance to the recently proposed motivational account of such age-related differences.
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how pervasive is Mind Wandering really
Consciousness and Cognition, 2018Co-Authors: Paul Seli, Daniel Smilek, Roger E Beaty, James Allan Cheyne, Jonathan M Oakman, Daniel L. SchacterAbstract:Recent claims that people spend 30-50% of their waking lives Mind Wandering (Killingsworth & Gilbert, 2010; Kane et al., 2007) have become widely accepted and frequently cited. While acknowledging attention to be inconstant and wavering, and Mind Wandering to be ubiquitous, we argue and present evidence that such simple quantitative estimates are misleading and potentially meaningless without serious qualification. Mind-Wandering estimates requiring dichotomous judgments of inner experience rely on questionable assumptions about how such judgments are made, and the resulting data do not permit straightforward interpretation. We present evidence that estimates of daily-life Mind Wandering vary dramatically depending on the response options provided. Offering participants a range of options in estimating task engagement yielded variable Mind-Wandering estimates, from approximately 60% to 10%, depending on assumptions made about how observers make introspective judgments about their Mind-Wandering experiences and how they understand what it means to be on- or off-task.
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Mind Wandering as a natural kind a family resemblances view
Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 2018Co-Authors: Paul Seli, Michael J. Kane, Daniel L. Schacter, Jonathan Smallwood, Jonathan W. Schooler, David Maillet, Daniel SmilekAbstract:As empirical research on Mind-Wandering accelerates, we draw attention to an emerging trend in how Mind-Wandering is conceptualized. Previously articulated definitions of Mind-Wandering differ from each other in important ways, yet they also maintain overlapping characteristics. This conceptual structure suggests that Mind-Wandering is best considered from a family-resemblances perspective, which entails treating it as a graded, heterogeneous construct and clearly measuring and describing the specific aspect(s) of Mind-Wandering that researchers are investigating. We believe that adopting this family-resemblances approach will increase conceptual and methodological connections among related phenomena in the Mind-Wandering family and encourage a more nuanced and precise understanding of the many varieties of Mind-Wandering.
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on the clock evidence for the rapid and strategic modulation of Mind Wandering
Psychological Science, 2018Co-Authors: Paul Seli, Evan F. Risko, Daniel L. Schacter, Jonathan S. A. Carriere, Jeffrey D Wammes, Daniel SmilekAbstract:We examined the hypothesis that people can modulate their Mind Wandering on the basis of their expectations of upcoming challenges in a task. To this end, we developed a novel paradigm in which participants were presented with an analog clock, via a computer monitor, and asked to push a button every time the clock’s hand was pointed at 12:00. Importantly, the time at which the clock’s hand was pointed at 12:00 was completely predictable and occurred at 20-s intervals. During some of the 20-s intervals, we presented thought probes to index participants’ rates of Mind Wandering. Results indicated that participants decreased their levels of Mind Wandering as they approached the predictable upcoming target. Critically, these results suggest that people can and do modulate their Mind Wandering in anticipation of changes in task demands.
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Increasing participant motivation reduces rates of intentional and unintentional Mind Wandering.
Psychological research, 2017Co-Authors: Paul Seli, Evan F. Risko, Daniel L. Schacter, Daniel SmilekAbstract:We explored the possibility that increasing participants’ motivation to perform well on a focal task can reduce Mind Wandering. Participants completed a sustained-attention task either with standard instructions (normal motivation), or with instructions informing them that they could be excused from the experiment early if they achieved a certain level of performance (higher motivation). Throughout the task, we assessed rates of Mind Wandering (both intentional and unintentional types) via thought probes. Results showed that the motivation manipulation led to significant reductions in both intentional and unintentional Mind Wandering as well as improvements in task performance. Most critically, we found that our simple motivation manipulation led to a dramatic reduction in probe-caught Mind-Wandering rates (49%) compared to a control condition (67%), which suggests the utility of motivation-based methods to reduce people’s propensity to Mind-wander.
Jonathan W. Schooler - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Mind Wandering as a natural kind a family resemblances view
Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 2018Co-Authors: Paul Seli, Michael J. Kane, Daniel L. Schacter, Jonathan Smallwood, Jonathan W. Schooler, David Maillet, Daniel SmilekAbstract:As empirical research on Mind-Wandering accelerates, we draw attention to an emerging trend in how Mind-Wandering is conceptualized. Previously articulated definitions of Mind-Wandering differ from each other in important ways, yet they also maintain overlapping characteristics. This conceptual structure suggests that Mind-Wandering is best considered from a family-resemblances perspective, which entails treating it as a graded, heterogeneous construct and clearly measuring and describing the specific aspect(s) of Mind-Wandering that researchers are investigating. We believe that adopting this family-resemblances approach will increase conceptual and methodological connections among related phenomena in the Mind-Wandering family and encourage a more nuanced and precise understanding of the many varieties of Mind-Wandering.
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intentionality and meta awareness of Mind Wandering are they one and the same or distinct dimensions
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 2017Co-Authors: Paul Seli, Evan F. Risko, Daniel L. Schacter, Jonathan W. Schooler, Brandon C W Ralph, Daniel SmilekAbstract:Researchers have recently demonstrated that Mind-Wandering episodes can vary on numerous dimensions, and it has been suggested that assessing these dimensions will play an important role in our understanding of Mind Wandering. One dimension that has received considerable attention in recent work is the intentionality of Mind Wandering. Although it has been claimed that indexing the intentionality of Mind Wandering will be necessary if researchers are to obtain a coherent understanding of the Wandering Mind, one concern is that this dimension might be redundant with another, longstanding, dimension: namely, meta-awareness. Thus, the utility of the argument for assessing intentionality rests upon a demonstration that this dimension is distinct from the meta-awareness dimension. To shed light on this issue, across two studies we compared and contrasted these dimensions to determine whether they are redundant or distinct. In both studies, we found support for the view that these dimensions are distinct.
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the science of Mind Wandering empirically navigating the stream of consciousness
Annual Review of Psychology, 2015Co-Authors: Jonathan Smallwood, Jonathan W. SchoolerAbstract:Conscious experience is fluid; it rarely remains on one topic for an extended period without deviation. Its dynamic nature is illustrated by the experience of Mind Wandering, in which attention switches from a current task to unrelated thoughts and feelings. Studies exploring the phenomenology of Mind Wandering highlight the importance of its content and relation to meta-cognition in determining its functional outcomes. Examination of the information-processing demands of the Mind-Wandering state suggests that it involves perceptual decoupling to escape the constraints of the moment, its content arises from episodic and affective processes, and its regulation relies on executive control. Mind Wandering also involves a complex balance of costs and benefits: Its association with various kinds of error underlines its cost, whereas its relationship to creativity and future planning suggest its potential value. Although essential to the stream of consciousness, various strategies may minimize the downsides of Mind Wandering while maintaining its productive aspects.
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thinking one thing saying another the behavioral correlates of Mind Wandering while reading aloud
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 2014Co-Authors: Michael S Franklin, Benjamin W Mooneyham, Benjamin Baird, Jonathan W. SchoolerAbstract:Although Mind-Wandering during silent reading is well documented, to date no research has investigated whether similar processes occur during reading aloud. In the present study, participants read a passage either silently or aloud while periodically being probed about Mind-Wandering. Although their comprehension accuracies were similar for both reading conditions, participants reported more Mind-Wandering while they were reading aloud. These episodes of Mindless reading were associated with nearly normal prosody, but were nevertheless distinguished by subtle fluctuations in volume that were predictive of both overall comprehension accuracy and individual sentence comprehension. Together, these findings reveal that previously hidden within the common activity of reading aloud lies: (1) a demonstration of the remarkable automaticity of speech, (2) a situation that is surprisingly conducive to Mind-Wandering, (3) subtle vocal signatures of Mind-Wandering and comprehension accuracy, and (4) the promise of developing useful interventions to improve reading.
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young and restless validation of the Mind Wandering questionnaire mwq reveals disruptive impact of Mind Wandering for youth
Frontiers in Psychology, 2013Co-Authors: Michael D Mrazek, Dawa T Phillips, Michael S Franklin, James M Broadway, Jonathan W. SchoolerAbstract:Mind-Wandering is the focus of extensive investigation, yet until recently there has been no validated scale to directly measure trait levels of task-unrelated thought. Scales commonly used to assess Mind-Wandering lack face validity, measuring related constructs such as daydreaming or behavioral errors. Here we report four studies validating a Mind-Wandering Questionnaire (MWQ) across college, high school, and middle school samples. The 5-item scale showed high internal consistency, as well as convergent validity with existing measures of Mind-Wandering and related constructs. Trait levels of Mind-Wandering, as measured by the MWQ, were correlated with task-unrelated thought measured by thought sampling during a test of reading comprehension. In both middle school and high school samples, Mind-Wandering during testing was associated with worse reading comprehension. By contrast, elevated trait levels of Mind-Wandering predicted worse mood, less life-satisfaction, greater stress, and lower self-esteem. By extending the use of thought sampling to measure Mind-Wandering among adolescents, our findings also validate the use of this methodology with younger populations. Both the MWQ and thought sampling indicate that Mind-Wandering is a pervasive – and problematic – influence on the performance and well-being of adolescents.
Jonathan Smallwood - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Mind Wandering as a natural kind a family resemblances view
Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 2018Co-Authors: Paul Seli, Michael J. Kane, Daniel L. Schacter, Jonathan Smallwood, Jonathan W. Schooler, David Maillet, Daniel SmilekAbstract:As empirical research on Mind-Wandering accelerates, we draw attention to an emerging trend in how Mind-Wandering is conceptualized. Previously articulated definitions of Mind-Wandering differ from each other in important ways, yet they also maintain overlapping characteristics. This conceptual structure suggests that Mind-Wandering is best considered from a family-resemblances perspective, which entails treating it as a graded, heterogeneous construct and clearly measuring and describing the specific aspect(s) of Mind-Wandering that researchers are investigating. We believe that adopting this family-resemblances approach will increase conceptual and methodological connections among related phenomena in the Mind-Wandering family and encourage a more nuanced and precise understanding of the many varieties of Mind-Wandering.
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on the relation of Mind Wandering and adhd symptomatology
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 2015Co-Authors: Paul Seli, Jonathan Smallwood, James Allan Cheyne, Daniel SmilekAbstract:Mind Wandering seems to be a prototypical feature of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, an important emerging distinction of Mind-Wandering types hinges on whether a given episode of Mind Wandering reflects a failure of executive control (spontaneous Mind Wandering) or the engagement of controlled processes for internal processing (deliberate Mind Wandering). Here we distinguish between spontaneous and deliberate Mind Wandering and test the hypothesis that symptoms of ADHD are associated with the former but not the latter. We assessed ADHD symptomatology and everyday levels of deliberate and spontaneous Mind Wandering in two large non-clinical samples (Ns = 1,354). In addition, to provide converging evidence, we examined rates of deliberate and spontaneous Mind Wandering in a clinically diagnosed ADHD sample. Results provide clear evidence that spontaneous, but not deliberate, Mind Wandering is a central feature of ADHD symptomatology at both the clinical and non-clinical level. We discuss the implications of these results for understanding both ADHD and Mind Wandering.
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the science of Mind Wandering empirically navigating the stream of consciousness
Annual Review of Psychology, 2015Co-Authors: Jonathan Smallwood, Jonathan W. SchoolerAbstract:Conscious experience is fluid; it rarely remains on one topic for an extended period without deviation. Its dynamic nature is illustrated by the experience of Mind Wandering, in which attention switches from a current task to unrelated thoughts and feelings. Studies exploring the phenomenology of Mind Wandering highlight the importance of its content and relation to meta-cognition in determining its functional outcomes. Examination of the information-processing demands of the Mind-Wandering state suggests that it involves perceptual decoupling to escape the constraints of the moment, its content arises from episodic and affective processes, and its regulation relies on executive control. Mind Wandering also involves a complex balance of costs and benefits: Its association with various kinds of error underlines its cost, whereas its relationship to creativity and future planning suggest its potential value. Although essential to the stream of consciousness, various strategies may minimize the downsides of Mind Wandering while maintaining its productive aspects.
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the role of Mind Wandering in measurements of general aptitude
Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2012Co-Authors: Michael D Mrazek, Jonathan Smallwood, Michael S Franklin, Jason Chin, Benjamin Baird, Jonathan W. SchoolerAbstract:Tests of working memory capacity (WMC) and fluid intelligence (gF) are thought to capture variability in a crucial cognitive capacity that is broadly predictive of success, yet pinpointing the exact nature of this capacity is an area of ongoing controversy. We propose that Mind-Wandering is associated with performance on tests of WMC and gF, thereby partially explaining both the reliable correlations between these tests and their broad predictive utility. Existing evidence indicates that both WMC and gF are correlated with performance on tasks of attention, yet more decisive evidence requires an assessment of the role of attention and, in particular, Mind-Wandering during performance of these tests. Four studies employing complementary methodological designs embedded thought sampling into tests of general aptitude and determined that Mind-Wandering was consistently associated with worse performance on these measures. Collectively, these studies implicate the capacity to avoid Mind-Wandering during demanding tasks as a potentially important source of success on measures of general aptitude, while also raising important questions about whether the previously documented relationship between WMC and Mind-Wandering can be exclusively attributed to executive failures preceding Mind-Wandering (McVay & Kane, 2010b).
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inspired by distraction Mind Wandering facilitates creative incubation
Psychological Science, 2012Co-Authors: Benjamin Baird, Jonathan Smallwood, Michael D Mrazek, Michael S Franklin, Julia W Y Kam, Jonathan W. SchoolerAbstract:Although anecdotes that creative thoughts often arise when one is engaged in an unrelated train of thought date back thousands of years, empirical research has not yet investigated this potentially critical source of inspiration. We used an incubation paradigm to assess whether performance on validated creativity problems (the Unusual Uses Task, or UUT) can be facilitated by engaging in either a demanding task or an undemanding task that maximizes Mind Wandering. Compared with engaging in a demanding task, rest, or no break, engaging in an undemanding task during an incubation period led to substantial improvements in performance on previously encountered problems. Critically, the context that improved performance after the incubation period was associated with higher levels of Mind Wandering but not with a greater number of explicitly directed thoughts about the UUT. These data suggest that engaging in simple external tasks that allow the Mind to wander may facilitate creative problem solving.
Michael J. Kane - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Mind Wandering as a natural kind a family resemblances view
Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 2018Co-Authors: Paul Seli, Michael J. Kane, Daniel L. Schacter, Jonathan Smallwood, Jonathan W. Schooler, David Maillet, Daniel SmilekAbstract:As empirical research on Mind-Wandering accelerates, we draw attention to an emerging trend in how Mind-Wandering is conceptualized. Previously articulated definitions of Mind-Wandering differ from each other in important ways, yet they also maintain overlapping characteristics. This conceptual structure suggests that Mind-Wandering is best considered from a family-resemblances perspective, which entails treating it as a graded, heterogeneous construct and clearly measuring and describing the specific aspect(s) of Mind-Wandering that researchers are investigating. We believe that adopting this family-resemblances approach will increase conceptual and methodological connections among related phenomena in the Mind-Wandering family and encourage a more nuanced and precise understanding of the many varieties of Mind-Wandering.
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age related differences in Mind Wandering in daily life
Psychology and Aging, 2018Co-Authors: David Maillet, Roger E Beaty, Nathan R Spreng, Megan L Jordano, Dayna R Touron, Areeba Adnan, Paul J Silvia, Thomas R Kwapil, Gary R Turner, Michael J. KaneAbstract:In recent years, several laboratory studies have indicated that healthy older adults exhibit a reduction in Mind-Wandering frequency compared with young adults. However, it is unclear if these findings extend to daily life settings. In the current study, using experience sampling over the course of a week in the daily life of 31 young and 20 older adults, we assessed age-related differences in: (a) Mind-Wandering frequency, (b) the relationship between affect and Mind-Wandering frequency, and (c) content of Mind Wandering. Older adults Mind wandered less than young adults in daily life. Across age groups, negative affect was positively associated with Mind-Wandering occurrence. Finally, older adults reported that their thoughts were more pleasant, interesting, and clear compared with young adults, who had thoughts that were more dreamlike, novel, strange, and racing. Our results provide the first demonstration using thought sampling that older adults exhibit a reduction in Mind-Wandering frequency in daily life. Implications for current theories of age-related reductions in Mind-Wandering frequency are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record
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what Mind Wandering reveals about executive control abilities and failures
Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2012Co-Authors: Michael J. Kane, Jennifer C. McvayAbstract:People’s Minds sometimes wander from ongoing activities. Although these experiences can be pleasant and useful, they are often unintentional and precipitate mistakes. In this article, we adopt an individual-differences perspective in considering unwanted Mind Wandering as an indicator of both momentary failures of and enduring deficiencies in executive-control functions. We describe research that associates normal variation in working memory capacity (WMC)—a cognitive ability that broadly predicts intellectual capabilities and accomplishments—with off-task thinking. In laboratory and daily-life assessments, people with lower WMC Mind wander more frequently than do those with higher WMC, at least during demanding tasks. Moreover, the error-proneness of lower-WMC subjects seems to arise partly from their vulnerability to Mind Wandering. Executive control over one’s thoughts therefore seems to contribute to the effective regulation of behavior.
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does Mind Wandering reflect executive function or executive failure comment on smallwood and schooler 2006 and watkins 2008
Psychological Bulletin, 2010Co-Authors: Jennifer C. Mcvay, Michael J. KaneAbstract:In this comment, we contrast different conceptions of Mind Wandering that were presented in 2 recent theoretical reviews: Smallwood and Schooler (2006) and Watkins (2008). We also introduce a new perspective on the role of executive control in Mind Wandering by integrating empirical evidence presented in Smallwood and Schooler with 2 theoretical frameworks: Watkins's elaborated control theory and Klinger's (1971, 2009) current concerns theory. In contrast to the Smallwood-Schooler claim that Mind Wandering recruits executive resources, we argue that Mind Wandering represents a failure of executive control and that it is dually determined by the presence of automatically generated thoughts in response to environmental and mental cues and the ability of the executive-control system to deal with this interference. We present empirical support for this view from experimental, neuroimaging, and individual-differences research.
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conducting the train of thought working memory capacity goal neglect and Mind Wandering in an executive control task
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning Memory and Cognition, 2009Co-Authors: Jennifer C. Mcvay, Michael J. KaneAbstract:On the basis of the executive-attention theory of working memory capacity (WMC; e.g., M. J. Kane, A. R. A. Conway, D. Z. Hambrick, & R. W. Engle, 2007), the authors tested the relations among WMC, Mind Wandering, and goal neglect in a sustained attention to response task (SART; a go/no-go task). In 3 SART versions, making conceptual versus perceptual processing demands, subjects periodically indicated their thought content when probed following rare no-go targets. SART processing demands did not affect Mind-Wandering rates, but Mind-Wandering rates varied with WMC and predicted goal-neglect errors in the task; furthermore, Mind-Wandering rates partially mediated the WMC–SART relation, indicating that WMC-related differences in goal neglect were due, in part, to variation in the control of conscious thought.
