scholarly journals Mind wandering increases linearly with text difficulty

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Kahmann ◽  
Yesim Ozuer ◽  
Claire M. Zedelius ◽  
Erik Bijleveld
Keyword(s):  
Linear Relationship ◽  
Mind Wandering ◽  
Text Difficulty ◽  
Comprehension Test ◽  
Grade Levels ◽  
Non Fiction ◽  
Quadratic Relationship ◽  
Thought Probes

AbstractAlthough mind wandering during reading is known to be affected by text difficulty, the nature of this relationship is not yet fully understood. To examine this issue, we conducted an experiment in which participants read non-fiction texts that varied along five levels of difficulty under naturalistic conditions. Difficulty levels were determined based on Flesch–Kincaid Grade Levels and verified with Coh–Metrix indices. Mind wandering was measured with thought probes. We predicted that text difficulty and mind wandering have a U-shaped (i.e., quadratic) relationship. Contrary to our expectations, but in line with some prior studies, mind wandering linearly increased with text difficulty. Additionally, text interest moderated the effect of text difficulty on mind wandering. Finally, mind wandering was associated with worse performance on a comprehension test. Together, our findings extend previous work by showing that (a) a linear relationship between difficulty and mind wandering exists during common page-by-page reading of pre-existing texts and that (b) this relationship holds across a broad range of difficulty levels.

EXPRESS: Bored, distracted and forgetful – The impact of mind wandering and boredom on memory encoding

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110263
Author(s):  
Philippe Blondé ◽  
Marco Sperduti ◽  
Dominique Makowski ◽  
Pascale Piolino
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Load Condition ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Mind Wandering ◽  
Memory Encoding ◽  
Working Memory Load ◽  
Thought Probes ◽  
The Impact

Mind wandering, defined as focusing attention toward task unrelated thoughts, is a common mental state known to impair memory encoding. This phenomenon is closely linked to boredom. Very few studies, however, have tested the potential impact of boredom on memory encoding. Thus, the present study aimed at manipulating mind wandering and boredom during an incidental memory encoding task, to test their differential impact on memory encoding. Thirty-two participants performed a variant of the n-back task in which they had to indicate if the current on-screen object was the same as the previous one (1-back; low working memory load) or the one presented three trials before (3-back; high working memory load). Moreover, thought probes assessing either mind wandering or boredom were randomly presented. Afterward, a surprise recognition task was delivered. Results showed that mind wandering and boredom were highly correlated, and both decreased in the high working memory load condition, while memory performance increased. Although both boredom and mind wandering predicted memory performance taken separately, we found that mind wandering was the only reliable predictor of memory performance when controlling for boredom and working memory load. Model comparisons also revealed that a model with boredom only was outperformed by a model with mind wandering only and a model with both mind wandering and boredom, suggesting that the predictive contribution of boredom in the complete model is minimal. The present results confirm the high correlation between mind wandering and boredom and suggest that the hindering effect of boredom on memory is subordinate to the effect of mind wandering.

scholarly journals The validity of the online thought-probing procedure of mind wandering is not threatened by variations of probe rate and probe framing

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna-Lena Schubert ◽  
Gidon T. Frischkorn ◽  
Jan Rummel
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Mind Wandering ◽  
Time Variability ◽  
Ongoing Task ◽  
Reaction Time Variability ◽  
Measurement Variation ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Great Heterogeneity ◽  
Response Task ◽  
Thought Probes

Recently, there has been a surge of interest in the measurement of mind-wandering during ongoing tasks. The frequently used online thought-probing procedure (OTPP), in which individuals are probed on whether their thoughts are on-task or not while performing an ongoing task, has repeatedly been criticized, because variations in the frequency of thought probes and the order in which on-task and off-task thoughts are referred to have been shown to affect mind-wandering rates. Hitherto, it is unclear whether this susceptibility to measurement variation only affects mean response rates in probe-caught mind-wandering or poses an actual threat to the validity of the OTPP, endangering the replicability and generalizability of study results. Here we show in a sample of 177 students that variations of the frequency or framing of thought probes do not affect the validity of the OTPP. While we found that more frequent thought probing reduced the rate of probe-caught mind-wandering, we did not replicate the effect that mind-wandering is more likely to be reported when off-task thoughts are referred to first rather than second. Crucially, associations between probe-caught mind-wandering and task performance, as well as associations between probe-caught mind-wandering and covariates (trait mind-wandering, reaction-time variability in the metronome-response task, working-memory capacity) did not change with variations of the probing procedure. Therefore, it seems unlikely that the great heterogeneity in the way the OTPP is implemented across different studies endangers the replicability and generalizability of study results. Data and analysis code are available at https://osf.io/7w8bm/.

scholarly journals Refixation Patterns of Mind-wandering during Real-world Scene Perception

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Han Zhang ◽  
Nicola C Anderson ◽  
Kevin Miller
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movements ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Real World ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Scene Perception ◽  
Mind Wandering ◽  
Quantification Analysis ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Thought Probes

Recent studies have shown that mind-wandering (MW) is associated with changes in eye movement parameters, but have not explored how MW affects the sequential pattern of eye movements involved in making sense of complex visual information. Eye movements naturally unfold over time and this process may reveal novel information about cognitive processing during MW. The current study used Recurrence Quantification Analysis (Anderson, Bischof, Laidlaw, Risko, & Kingstone, 2013) to describe the pattern of refixations (fixations directed to previously-inspected regions) during MW. Participants completed a real-world scene encoding task and responded to thought probes assessing intentional and unintentional MW. Both types of MW were associated with worse memory of the scenes. Importantly, RQA showed that scanpaths during unintentional MW were more repetitive than during on-task episodes, as indicated by a higher recurrence rate and more stereotypical fixation sequences. This increased repetitiveness suggests an adaptive response to processing failures through re-examining previous locations. Moreover, this increased repetitiveness contributed to fixations focusing on a smaller spatial scale of the stimuli. Finally, we were also able to validate several traditional measures: both intentional and unintentional MW were associated with fewer and longer fixations; Eye-blinking increased numerically during both types of MW but the difference was only significant for unintentional MW. Overall, the results advanced our understanding of how visual processing is affected during MW by highlighting the sequential aspect of eye movements.

scholarly journals Effect of tDCS over the Right Inferior Parietal Lobule on Mind-Wandering Propensity

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Coulborn ◽  
Howard Bowman ◽  
Chris Miall ◽  
Davinia Fernández-Espejo
Keyword(s):  
Mind Wandering ◽  
Inferior Parietal Lobule ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Default Mode ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
Parietal Lobule ◽  
Response Task ◽  
Thought Probes ◽  
The Right ◽  
Subjective Reports

Mind-wandering is associated with switching our attention to internally directed thoughts and is by definition an intrinsic, self-generated cognitive function. Interestingly, previous research showed that it may be possible to modulate its propensity externally, with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting different regions in the default mode and executive control networks. However, these studies used highly heterogeneous montages (targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the right inferior parietal lobule (IPL), or both concurrently), often showed contradicting results, and in many cases failed to replicate. Our study aimed to establish whether tDCS of the default mode network, via targeting the right IPL alone, could modulate mind-wandering propensity using a within-subjects double-blind, counterbalanced design. Participants completed a sustained attention to response task (SART) interspersed with thought-probes to capture their subjective reports of mind-wandering before and after receiving anodal, cathodal, or sham tDCS over the right IPL (with the reference over the left cheek). We found evidence for the lack of an effect of stimulation on subjective reports of mind-wandering (JZS-BF01 = 5.19), as well as on performance on the SART task (errors (JZS-BF01 = 6.79) and reaction time (JZS-BF01 = 5.94). Overall, we failed to replicate previous reports of successful modulations of mind-wandering propensity with tDCS over the IPL, instead providing evidence in support of the lack of an effect. This, and other recent unsuccessful replications call into question whether it is indeed possible to externally modulate spontaneous or self-generated cognitive processes.

scholarly journals Productivity of Urochloa brizantha ‘Marandu’ influenced by strategic rest periods and nitrogen levels

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 3203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luan Fernandes Rodrigues ◽  
Antônio Clementino dos Santos ◽  
Otacílio Silveira Junior ◽  
José Geraldo Donizetti dos Santos
Keyword(s):  
Linear Relationship ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Rest Period ◽  
Quadratic Model ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Nitrogen Levels ◽  
Rest Periods ◽  
Quadratic Relationship ◽  
Four Blocks ◽  
Urochloa Brizantha

The effects of two strategic rest periods and associated nitrogen levels on the agronomic and productive characteristics of Urochloa brizantha ‘Marandu’ were evaluated. The trial was conducted in a completely randomized 4 × 2 split-plot design, with four blocks. The treatments consisted of associations between two rest periods and four nitrogen levels. The rest periods included one at the end of 28 days (RP28days) and another when the canopy height was 40 cm (RP40cm) and nitrogen levels of 0, 150, 300, and 450 kg N ha-1 year-1 was applied as ammonium sulfate. The following variables were evaluated: rest period (RP) per cycle, total dry matter (TDM), dry matter (kg ha-1) and proportion (%) of leaf blade (LB), stem, and senescent material (SM), tiller mass, forage density, leaf area index, height, leaf:stem ratio, and crop growth rate (CGR). The variables height, TDM, LB dry matter, stem dry matter, CGR, and forage density exhibited a linear relationship with RP28days and a quadratic relationship with RP40cm with increasing N levels. The proportions of LB and stem had linear relationships with N levels for RP28days and RP40cm. The leaf:stem ratio was affected by increasing N levels and it fit the quadratic model for both rest strategies. The SM proportion had a quadratic relationship only with RP28days. The tiller mass had a linear relationship with RP28days, whereas SM dry matter showed a linear relationship for RP40cm. The use of the RP40cm reduced the period needed to begin a new grazing cycle. The level of 450 kg N ha-1 is recommended for RP28days and levels between 380 to 400 kg N ha-1 provided better results for RP40cm.

scholarly journals Testing the Attention-Distractibility Trait

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt Ethan Meier
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Mind Wandering ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Science Framework ◽  
Thought Probes ◽  
Task Irrelevant ◽  
And Task

Forster and Lavie (2014, 2016) found that task-irrelevant distraction correlated positively with a measure of mind-wandering and a report of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptomology. Based primarily on these results, Forster and Lavie claimed to establish an attention-distractibility trait. Here, I sought to replicate the associations among measures of task-irrelevant distraction, mind wandering, and ADHD symptomology, and to test if these associations could be distinguished from associations with working memory capacity and task-relevant distraction. With data collected from two hundred and twenty-six subjects (ns differ among analyses), the results from the current study suggest that the measure of task-irrelevant distraction is not (or only very weakly) associated with measures of mind wandering (measured both with a stand-alone questionnaire and in-task thought probes) and ADHD symptomology. Additionally, the measure of irrelevant-distraction exhibited low internal consistency suggesting that (as measured) it is not capable of being a an individual differences measure. [Preregistration, data, analysis scripts and output are available via the Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/bhs24/].

scholarly journals Response in nutritionally related blood metabolites, carcass traits and primal pork cuts of slow growing Windsnyer pigs fed on varying levels of potato hash silage

1970 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 770-776
Author(s):  
C.N. Ncobela ◽  
A.T. Kanengoni ◽  
M. Chimonyo
Keyword(s):  
Alkaline Phosphatase ◽  
Linear Relationship ◽  
Total Protein ◽  
Linear Response ◽  
Carcass Traits ◽  
Carcass Weight ◽  
Muscle Area ◽  
Eye Muscle ◽  
Inclusion Level ◽  
Quadratic Relationship

The response of Windsnyer pigs to diets containing varying levels of potato hash silage in nutritionally related blood biochemistry, carcass traits and primal pork was estimated. Thirty-six growing clinically healthy male Windsnyer pigs with an initial weight of 36 kg ± 4.89 (mean ± standard deviation (SD)) were randomly assigned to six experimental diets containing 0, 80, 160, 240, 320, and 400 potato hash silage g/kg dry matter (DM). Experimental diets were derived from mixing a summit diet containing no potato hash silage and a dilution diet containing 400 g potato hash silage/kg in various proportions. Pigs were allowed ad libitum access to diets and water. There was no relationship between inclusion levels of potato hash silage and albumin: globulin ratio, total protein, and uric acid. As inclusion levels of potato hash silage varied, there was a positive linear relationship between silage and albumin concentration. Globulin concentration had a positive quadratic relationship with the inclusion of potato hash silage. Inclusion levels of potato hash silage resulted in a positive quadratic relationship in alkaline phosphatase. There was a negative linear response in warm carcass weight and cold carcass weight to inclusion levels of silage. A negative linear response was observed in dressing percentage. Different inclusion levels of potato hash silage caused a positive quadratic relationship in cooler shrink. There were negative linear relationships between inclusion of potato hash silage with shoulder fat, carcass length and backfat thickness. There was a negative linear relationship between eye muscle area and inclusion level of ensiled potato hash. There was a positive quadratic relationship between hindquarter length (HQL) and inclusion levels of silage. The observed linear relationship between hindquarter circumference (HQC) and inclusion levels of potato hash silage was negative. There is a need to predict the optimum inclusion level of potato hash silage without compromising the healthiness and carcass yield of pigs.Keywords: Alkaline phosphatase, backfat thickness, cold carcass weight, cooler shrink, dorsal fat thickness, eye muscle area, hindquarter circumference, total protein

scholarly journals Local use-dependent activity triggers mind wandering: resource depletion or executive dysfunction?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esperanza Jubera-Garcia ◽  
Luc Vermeylen ◽  
Philippe Peigneux ◽  
wim gevers ◽  
Filip Van Opstal
Keyword(s):  
Objective Measure ◽  
Resource Depletion ◽  
Executive Dysfunction ◽  
Mind Wandering ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Pupillary Response ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Local Resources ◽  
Thought Probes ◽  
Local Use

Mind wandering (MW) is a highly prevalent phenomenon despite its negative consequences on behaviour. Current views about its origin share the idea that MW occurs due to changes in the executive functions system. Here, we argue that not all instances of MW are necessarily related to changes in that system. Combining results from MW and sleep research, we propose that MW could also be initiated by the depletion of resources in primary task-related networks. To test this hypothesis, participants performed four sessions of the texture discrimination task (TDT) on a day. The TDT is a perceptual learning task in which performance is related to the local build-up of sleep-pressure. During the TDT, MW was recorded in both a subjective (i.e., with thought probes) and an objective (i.e., phasic pupillary response) manner. Results showed that the pattern of behaviour in the TDT was mirrored in the objective measure of MW. Also for the subjective measure the pattern was similar to that of task performance, but it failed to reach significance. These results demonstrate that not all MW is necessarily related to changes in the executive system and support the hypothesis that MW can be related to the depletion of local resources.

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