Understanding the role of mind wandering in stress-related working memory impairments

Feasibility and acceptability of a theory-based online tool for reducing stress-induced eating

Stress-induced eating is associated with various health risks like obesity and cardiovascular disease, exacerbated by the overconsumption of unhealthy foods. This study sought to investigate replacement coping strategies for stress-induced eating that participants can seek to implement using behaviour change techniques like implementation intentions. The study adopted a feasibility and acceptability design, with 258 participants (88.37% female) aged 17-75 years old who self-reported stress-induced eating. Participants were asked to identify cues for their stress-induced eating and evaluate the acceptability of eight potential replacement coping strategies. After selecting their preferred strategy, participants formed implementation intentions, linking the strategy with their previously identified cues. There were six themes of cues for stress-induced eating as identified by participants, including a range of external and internal stressors. Themes regarding the acceptability of the replacement coping strategies were organised based on constructs from integrated social cognition theories. Participant responses reflected cognitive and affective attitudes, and control and normative beliefs behind engagement in coping behaviour; further, automatic and volitional processes were described by participants as playing a role in whether a coping strategy was deemed as useful. Plans formulated by participants commonly detailed specific situations and strategies to utilise, though few described start times or durations of their plan. Action planning was found to significantly increase following formation of implementation intentions, and participants' descriptions supported the feasibility and acceptability of utilising implementation intentions to adopt alternative coping strategies to stress-induced eating. Future research should conduct a randomised controlled trial to assess the efficacy of the implementation intentions intervention in promoting uptake of replacement coping strategies to reduce stress-induced eating.

Positively framing mind wandering does not increase mind wandering in older adults

Age-related differences in mind wandering are robust, with older adults reporting less mind wandering compared to younger adults. While several theories have been put forth to explain this difference, one view has received less attention than others. Specifically, age-related differences in mind wandering might occur because older adults are reluctant to report on their mind wandering. The aim of the current study was to explicitly test this hypothesis. Older and younger adults completed a go/no-go task with intermittent thought probes to assess mind wandering. In one condition, participants were provided with standard instructions about how to respond to questions about their thoughts. In a second condition, participants were provided with a positive framing of mind wandering. Mind wandering was assessed both subjectively (i.e., via thought probes) and objectively (i.e., using different behavioral measures from the go/no-go task). The results of the study suggest that positively framing mind wandering did not impact rates of mind wandering or objective indicators of mind wandering for older or younger adults. Older adults reported less mind wandering, regardless of condition, compared to younger adults. Older adults also had generally better performance on the go/no-go task compared to younger adults. Bayesian analyses suggested that the main effect of framing condition, although not significant in Frequentist terms, did provide moderate evidence of an overall effect on mind wandering rates. We interpret the results as evidence against the reluctance hypothesis, consistent with previous work.

Evaluation of an implementation intentions intervention for managing university student stress

University students consistently report high levels of stress, which has been associated with a range of adverse outcomes. Promoting adaptive coping behaviours, such as problem-focused coping for managing university stress, is therefore a timely area of investigation. Current coping intervention approaches target reasoned cognitive processes; however, recent research has suggested that automatic processes are more strongly associated with problem-focused coping behaviour. The current study examined the effect of an implementation intentions intervention, a technique that can support behaviour to be performed automatically by facilitating continued repetition of a plan, on problem-focused coping behaviour under stress and stress-related outcomes. Following a pilot study (N = 21), a preregistered randomized controlled trial was conducted with university students (N = 154) using an online survey. Participants completed baseline measures of problem-focused coping behaviour, behavioural automaticity, behavioural intentions, action planning, perceived stress, procrastination, and psychological wellbeing; before receiving the intervention or control condition stimuli, and then at a 2-week follow-up. Behavioural intention and action planning were also measured immediately post-intervention. The intervention had a significant medium-sized effect on action planning for problem-focused coping, but no other significant effects were detected. Exploratory assessment of plan quality revealed medium-sized correlations between plan quality and changes in problem-focused coping behaviour. Findings indicate that implementation intentions may be a promising approach for increasing planning for the use of problem-focused coping. Indicators of plan quality found to be associated with changes in problem-focused coping provide valuable avenues for intervention optimisation in future research.

Metacognitive Management of Attention in Online Learning

Performance during training is a poor predictor of long-term retention. Worse yet, conditions of training that produce rapidly improving performance typically do not produce long-lasting, generalizable learning. As a result, learners and instructors alike can be misled into adopting training or educational experiences that are suboptimal for producing actual learning. Computer-based educational training platforms can counter this unfortunate tendency by providing only productive conditions of instruction-even if they are unintuitive (e.g., spacing instead of massing). The use of such platforms, however, introduces a different liability: being easy to interrupt. An assessment of this possible liability is needed given the enormous disruption to modern education brought about by COVID-19 and the subsequent widespread emergency adoption of computer-based remote instruction. The present study was therefore designed to (a) explore approaches for detecting interruptions that can be reasonably implemented by an instructor, (b) determine the frequency at which students are interrupted during a cognitive-science-based digital learning experience, and (c) establish the extent to which the pandemic and ensuing lockdowns affected students' metacognitive ability to maintain engagement with their digital learning experiences. Outliers in time data were analyzed with increasing complexity and decreasing subjectivity to identify when learners were interrupted. Results indicated that only between 1.565% and 3.206% of online interactions show evidence of learner interruption. And although classroom learning was inarguably disrupted by the pandemic, learning in the present, evidence-based platform appeared to be immune.

The Effects of Mind-Wandering, Cognitive Load, and Task Engagement on Working Memory Performance in Remote Online Experiments

Recent changes in environments from in-person to remote present several issues for work, education, and research, particularly related to cognitive performance. Increased distraction in remote environments may lead to increases in mind-wandering and disengagement with tasks at hand, whether virtual meetings, online lectures, or psychological experiments. The present study investigated mind-wandering and multitasking effects during working memory tasks in remote and in-person environments. In two experiments, participants completed a working memory task with varied cognitive load during a secondary task. After each working memory trial, participants reported their mind-wandering during that trial. Some participants completed the procedures in-person, while others completed the procedures remotely. Overall, remote participants reported significantly more mind-wandering and poorer secondary task performance than in-person participants, but this pattern was not reflected in working memory accuracy. Both groups exhibited similar multitasking effects on performance. Additional analyses found that for remote participants, task engagement better predicted working memory performance than either cognitive load or mind-wandering rates but did not indicate a tradeoff in resources between tasks. Together, these results demonstrate the importance of considering multiple metrics when assessing performance and illustrate that making assumptions about the equivalence of remote and in-person work is a risky proposition.

App-based self-trainings targeting strain recovery and their effect on concentration

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many knowledge workers reported concentration problems. This can be seen as critical as concentration is an important indicator for both cognitive wellbeing and occupational success. Drawing on the load theory of selective attention, we argue that concentration problems can be caused by the strain workers experienced during the pandemic. Consequently, by associating impaired concentration with strain, we hypothesize that strengthening strain recovery is a method that potentially supports concentration in stressful times. We developed the smartphone app "swoliba" containing self-training exercises targeting recovery experiences and tested the benefit of this app with two intervention groups and one waitlist-control group. Participants of the intervention groups were asked to carry out the exercises accompanied by surveys throughout a period of 4 weeks in 2020/2021. Results show that participants in the intervention groups reported higher concentration levels and lower strain levels than those in the control group, and this beneficial effect on concentration is partially mediated via lower strain levels. We conclude that self-training apps can be an effective tool for recovery interventions reducing strain but also supporting concentration. Using two different intervention conditions, we can reliably demonstrate the beneficial effect of our swoliba training program.

Prevalence and correlates of subjective cognitive impairment in Chinese psychiatric patients during the fifth wave of COVID-19 in Hong Kong

Introduction

The extent of cognitive impairment and its association with psychological distress among people with pre-existing mental illness during COVID-19 is understudied. This study aimed to investigate prevalence and correlates of subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) in Chinese psychiatric patients during fifth-wave of COVID-19 in Hong Kong (HK).

Methods

Four-hundred-eight psychiatric outpatients aged 18-64 years were assessed with questionnaires between 28 March and 8 April 2022, encompassing illness profile, psychopathological symptoms, coping-styles, resilience, and COVID-19 related factors. Participants were categorized into moderate-to-severe and intact/mild cognitive impairment (CI+ vs. CI-) groups based on severity of self-reported cognitive complaints. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to determine variables associated with CI+ status.

Results

One-hundred-ninety-nine participants (48.8%) experienced CI+. A multivariate model on psychopathological symptoms found that depressive and post-traumatic-stress-disorder (PTSD)-like symptoms were related to CI+, while a multivariate model on coping, resilience and COVID-19 related factors revealed that avoidant coping, low resilience and more stressors were associated with CI+. Final combined model demonstrated the best model performance and showed that more severe depressive and PTSD-like symptoms, and adoption of avoidant coping were significantly associated with CI+.

Conclusion

Almost half of the sample of psychiatric patients reported cognitive complaints during fifth-wave of COVID-19 in HK. Greater depressive and PTSD-like symptom severity, and maladaptive (avoidant) coping were found as correlates of SCI. COVID-19 related factors were not independently associated with SCI in psychiatric patients. Early detection with targeted psychological interventions may therefore reduce psychological distress, and hence self-perceived cognitive difficulties in this vulnerable population.

The Interaction of the Dorsolateral and Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex During Mind Wandering

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Mind wandering refers to spontaneously occurring, often disruptive thoughts during an ongoing task or resting state. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) are two main cortical areas which are involved in this process. This study aimed to explore the interaction of these areas during mind wandering by enhancing specific oscillatory activity of these areas via transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) in the theta frequency range.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Eighteen healthy adults participated in a randomized, single-blinded, crossover study. tACS (1.5 mA, 6 Hz) was applied in five sessions with one week interval via (1) two channels with synchronized stimulation over the left dlPFC and right vmPFC, (2) the same electrode placement with anti-phase stimulation, (3) stimulation over the left dlPFC only, (4) stimulation over right vmPFC only, and (5) sham stimulation. The return electrodes were placed over the contralateral shoulder in all conditions. The sustained attention to response task (SART) with embedded probes about task-unrelated-thoughts and awareness of these thoughts was performed during intervention.

RESULTS

Stimulation did not alter SART performance. Right vmPFC stimulation decreased mind wandering and increased awareness of mind wandering. Left dlPFC stimulation and desynchronized stimulation over the dlPFC and vmPFC increased mind wandering compared to the sham stimulation condition. Synchronized stimulation had no effect on mind wandering, but increased awareness of mind wandering.

CONCLUSION

The results suggest that regional entrainment of the vmPFC decreases mind wandering and increases awareness of mind wandering, whereas regional entrainment of the dlPFC increases mind wandering, but decreases awareness. Under desynchronized stimulation of both areas, the propensity of mind wandering was increased, whereas synchronized stimulation increased the awareness of mind wandering. These results suggest a role of the dlPFC in initiation of mind wandering, whereas the vmPFC downregulates mind wandering, and might exert this function by counteracting respective dlPFC effects via theta oscillations.

The Impact of Information About COVID-19 on the Endocrine Stress System and Cognitive Distortions

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is one of the major health concerns worldwide affecting not only human physical health but also contributing to the development of many mental disorders including impairment of the cognitive function. It is highly conceivable that elevation of the stress hormones, i.e., glucocorticoids and catecholamines, due to the infection, as well as the presence of psychosocial stressors, such as COVID-19 information, play a critical role in the development of these disorders. In the present study, the potential impact of exposure to COVID-19 information on the cognitive distortion and stress levels was analyzed in a population of 32 first-year medical sciences students using the stress assessment questionnaire (SAQ) and the posttraumatic cognitions inventory (PTCI) surveys. Both surveys demonstrated no acute change in the stress and post-traumatic cognition levels between medical sciences students who were either exposed or not to information about COVID-19. Interestingly, analysis of the stress and cognition points across the first and second measurements of the SAQ categories revealed a significant change in the control group but not in the experimental group. In addition, there was no significant difference among groups when considering the time*group factor. To conclude, we found that exposure to information about COVID-19 did not contribute acutely to cognitive distortion and stress levels among participating students. The previous exposure to COVID-19-related information from media and living during the COVID-19 pandemic era might have enhanced the awareness of the students to the situation.

Toward a New Approach to Investigate the Role of Working Memory in Stereotype Threat Effects

Stereotype threat arises when the activation of negative stereotypes about a group impairs performance of stigmatized individuals on stereotype relevant tasks. There is ample evidence that stereotype threat leads to performance detriments by consuming executive resources. Several studies indeed showed that working memory (WM) mediates stereotype threat effects among young adults. More recently, researchers have sought to understand whether the same mechanisms underlie age-based stereotype threat, but findings are mixed regarding the role of WM and some authors rather favor a motivational explanation based on regulatory fit. The present review critically appraises the empirical support for distinct forms of stereotype threat effects mediated by distinct mechanisms. We propose a novel approach based on one of the most recent WM models, the time-based resource sharing model, to evaluate the impact of stereotype threat on attentional resources in WM among both young and older adults.

"The ship is sinking, yet the band plays on": COVID-19 and academia

Objective: Researchers sought to examine experiences of stress, mental health, and work outcomes for those in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants: Graduate students and professors completed an online survey in June 2020 (N = 1,794). Methods: Participants completed measures of stress, depression, and anxiety as well as items related to work quality, productivity, and fulfillment. Results: 70% of graduate students reported higher than normal levels of anxiety, depression, and stress according to the DASS-21. Nearly half of professors reported higher than normal levels of anxiety, depression, and stress. Multiple linear regression analyses found that higher levels of work fulfillment predicted greater productivity (f2grad = .15; f2prof = .08) and quality of work (f2grad = .10; f2prof = .12). Conclusions: Individuals in higher education are struggling with their mental health and considerations need to be made to help this group. Additionally, we discuss the implications of self-determination theory on work fulfillment.

An integrated dual-process model for coping behaviour

Stress management interventions have traditionally aimed to change coping behaviour with little attention to mechanisms that drive behaviour change. We sought to test an integrated dual-process model, accounting for reasoned and automatic processes, for predicting problem-focussed coping behaviour. The study adopted a two-wave prospective correlational design with a 1-week follow-up. University students aged 17-25 (N = 272) completed survey measures online. At Time 1, participants completed self-report measures of attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, intention, behavioural automaticity, and past problem-focussed coping behaviour. At Time 2, participants completed follow-up measures of behavioural automaticity and problem-focussed coping behaviour. Structural equation modelling testing the hypothesised dual-process model exhibited a good fit to the data, accounting for 50.0% and 45.4% of the variance in intentions and problem-focussed coping behaviour, respectively. Attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, and past behaviour directly predicted intention. Intention, past behaviour, and behavioural automaticity directly predicted problem-focussed coping behaviour. Past behaviour also indirectly predicted problem-focussed coping behaviour via behavioural automaticity. Results suggest that problem-focussed coping behaviour tends to be regulated by reasoned psychological processes, and more strongly by automatic psychological processes. Future research aiming to increase problem-focussed coping should utilise behaviour change methods known to influence these processes.

An individual differences investigation of the relations among life event stress, working memory capacity, and mind wandering: A preregistered replication-extension study

Klein and Boals (2001a, Applied Cognitive Psychology, 15[5], 565-579, Experiments 1 and 2) found that working memory capacity correlated negatively with perceived negative life event stress and speculated the relation may be driven by thoughts produced from these experiences. Here, we sought to replicate the association between working memory capacity and perceived negative life experience and to assess potential mediators of this association such as mind wandering propensity, rumination propensity, and the sum of negatively valenced mind wandering reports. In this preregistered replication and extension study, with data collected from 356 subjects (ns differ among analyses), we found no evidence suggesting that perceived negative life stress is associated with working memory capacity. Additionally, we found evidence consistent with the claim that negatively valenced mind wandering is uniquely detrimental to cognitive task performance, but we highlight a potential confound that may account for this association that should be addressed in future work.

Variations in mindfulness associated with the COVID-19 outbreak: Differential effects on cognitive failures, intrusive thoughts and rumination

The lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak in 2019 (COVID‐19) has caused psychological distress and cognitive discomfort for emerging adults, who have experienced increased rumination, intrusive thoughts and cognitive failures. States of mindfulness and being in the moment can prevent anxiety and fear associated with the lockdown and alleviate ruminative and automatic negative thinking. This longitudinal study investigated the role of mindfulness before and during the COVID‐19 lockdown in protecting a sample of emerging adults from experiencing cognitive failures, intrusive thoughts and rumination and examined how lockdown‐related variables—emotions, socio‐economic status and housing conditions—influenced this mindfulness profile. The results showed overall more cognitive failures and rumination during lockdown, especially in participants whose mindfulness status diminished. However, these signs of cognitive distress remained stable or decreased among participants who reported improved changes in mindfulness. Financial difficulties and a reduced sense of privacy associated with the lockdown predicted lower stability in mindfulness profiles. The state of being fully aware of what is happening in the present moment may be helpful in reducing cognitive discomfort and psychological maladjustment, especially during stressful times such as lockdowns.