1
|
Yao Y, Diao D. Impact of inhibition level on field-dependent and field-independent individuals in attentional blink. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2024; 88:91-100. [PMID: 37407850 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-023-01853-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
The attentional blink (AB) phenomenon is a cognitive limitation that refers to the failure in identifying the second target if it follows the first one in close temporal proximity (200-500 ms). However, more recent studies have demonstrated that AB task performance greatly differs among individuals. This behavioral heterogeneity in AB has promoted research on exploring the predictive value of individual differences. The present study examined how AB magnitudes were related to personal cognitive styles. The Embedded Figures Test was carried out to classify participants' cognitive styles, along with the manipulation of the physical characteristics of distractors in the rapid serial visual presentation paradigm (RSVP) as two levels of inhibition (target-distractor similarity). Results from two experiments of varying difficulty revealed that the AB effect varied between field-dependent (FD) and field-independent (FI) individuals. The AB magnitude in FD individuals was more easily influenced by different inhibition levels of distractors, compared to the FI individuals. Results are interpreted in terms of the contemporary theories of AB that highlighted the inhibitory control over attention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Yao
- Department of Psychology, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, China.
| | - Danmei Diao
- Department of Psychology, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Girardeau JC, Ledru R, Gaston-Bellegarde A, Blondé P, Sperduti M, Piolino P. The benefits of mind wandering on a naturalistic prospective memory task. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11432. [PMID: 37454161 PMCID: PMC10349849 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37996-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Mind wandering (MW) occurs when our attention spontaneously shifts from the task at hand to inner thoughts. MW is often future-oriented and may help people remember to carry out their planned actions (Prospective Memory, PM). Past-oriented MW might also play a critical role in boosting PM performance. Sixty participants learned 24 PM items and recalled them during an immersive virtual walk in a town. The items were divided into event-based-EB and time-based-TB. During the PM retention phase, participants were randomly assigned to a high or a low cognitive load condition, in order to manipulate MW frequency. Some PM items were encoded before this MW manipulation (pre-PM) and some during the virtual walk (post-PM). A high MW frequency was linked with better global PM performances. Spontaneous past-oriented MW predicted better pre-EB retrospective PM retrieval, while spontaneous future-oriented MW predicted better Pre-EB prospective PM retrieval. Voluntary future-oriented MW predicted better post-EB retrospective retrieval. We highlighted, for the first time, a differential impact of spontaneous MW content depending on the PM component (retrospective or prospective). Past-oriented MW is crucial for (re)consolidating PM intentions, and episodic future thinking MW for the execution of PM intentions. We discuss the twofold functional role of MW, namely, to consolidate an already programmed intention and to plan future actions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J C Girardeau
- Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau & Cognition (LMC2 UR 7536), Institut de Psychologie, Université Paris Cité, 71 Ave Édouard Vaillant, 92100, Boulogne-Billancourt, France.
| | - R Ledru
- Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau & Cognition (LMC2 UR 7536), Institut de Psychologie, Université Paris Cité, 71 Ave Édouard Vaillant, 92100, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
| | - A Gaston-Bellegarde
- Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau & Cognition (LMC2 UR 7536), Institut de Psychologie, Université Paris Cité, 71 Ave Édouard Vaillant, 92100, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
| | - P Blondé
- Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau & Cognition (LMC2 UR 7536), Institut de Psychologie, Université Paris Cité, 71 Ave Édouard Vaillant, 92100, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
- Icelandic Vision Lab, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - M Sperduti
- Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau & Cognition (LMC2 UR 7536), Institut de Psychologie, Université Paris Cité, 71 Ave Édouard Vaillant, 92100, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
| | - P Piolino
- Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau & Cognition (LMC2 UR 7536), Institut de Psychologie, Université Paris Cité, 71 Ave Édouard Vaillant, 92100, Boulogne-Billancourt, France.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
He H, Chen Y, Li T, Li H, Zhang X. The role of focus back effort in the relationships among motivation, interest, and mind wandering: an individual difference perspective. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2023; 8:43. [PMID: 37442897 PMCID: PMC10344852 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-023-00502-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Considerable research suggests a link between mind wandering and diminished levels of motivation and interest. During episodes of mind wandering, individuals may engage in efforts to redirect their attention back to the task at hand (known as focus back effort). Building on the resource-control hypothesis, we hypothesized that the influence of interest and motivation on mind wandering may be mediated by focus back effort. In Study 1, we employed a latent-variable approach to investigate these relationships across three tasks with varying cognitive demands. The results showed that individual differences in interest indirectly influenced mind wandering through the mediating factors of motivation and focus back effort. Furthermore, individual differences in interest indirectly predicted task performance through the mediating factors of motivation, focus back effort, and mind wandering during the high-load task. In Study 2, we replicated the relationships among these factors in a reading comprehension task. The results consistently support the role of focus back effort as an adaptive mechanism for executive control, enabling the allocation of cognitive resources to both mind wandering and task performance. These findings underscore the significance of focus back effort in elucidating the interplay between mind wandering, motivation, interest, and task performance. Importantly, our results align with the resource-control theory.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hong He
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yunyun Chen
- Beijing Key Lab of Applied Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Ting Li
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Hui Li
- Beijing Key Lab of Applied Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Xuemin Zhang
- Beijing Key Lab of Applied Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Deng YQ, Zhang B, Zheng X, Liu Y, Wang X, Zhou C. The impacts of mind-wandering on flow: Examining the critical role of physical activity and mindfulness. Front Psychol 2022; 13:674501. [PMID: 35959059 PMCID: PMC9358024 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.674501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Individuals with mind-wandering experience their attention decoupling from their main task at hand while others with flow experience fully engage in their task with the optimum experience. There seems to be a negative relationship between mind-wandering and flow. However, it remains unclear to what extent mind-wandering exerts an impact on flow. And it is also elusive whether physical activity and mindfulness, which are as important factors that affected individuals’ attentional control and psychological health, are beneficial in explaining the association between mind-wandering and flow. The current study investigated the relationship between mind-wandering and flow, and the potential mediation effects of physical activity and mindfulness in this association. Methods A cross-sectional exploratory study design, including multiple scales such as the Mind-Wandering Questionnaire (MWQ), the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ), Mindfulness Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS), and the Short Dispositional Flow Scale (S-DFS) was applied. Descriptive statistics and bivariate correlation coefficients were applied in the analysis of these data. A multiple mediation model was used to examine the relationships between mind-wandering, flow, physical activity, and mindfulness. Results Mind-wandering was inversely associated with physical activity, mindfulness and flow, respectively; and flow was positively related to physical activity and mindfulness, respectively. Moreover, multiple mediation results demonstrated that physical activity and mindfulness, respectively, mediated the relationship between mind-wandering and flow. Conclusion These findings are helpful to understand how our minds attend to the present moment, and the crucial roles of physical activity and mindfulness in the association between mind-wandering and flow. An implication of these is the possibility that the effective strategies aimed at enhancing both the levels of physical activity and mindfulness are needed to reduce the negative impact of mind-wandering on flow.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Qin Deng
- Institute of Sports Science, Nantong University, Nantong, China
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Yu-Qin Deng,
| | - Binn Zhang
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinyan Zheng
- School of Kinesiology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Liu
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaochun Wang
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Chenglin Zhou
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Reteig LC, Newman LA, Ridderinkhof KR, Slagter HA. Effects of tDCS on the attentional blink revisited: A statistical evaluation of a replication attempt. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0262718. [PMID: 35085301 PMCID: PMC8794161 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The attentional blink (AB) phenomenon reveals a bottleneck of human information processing: the second of two targets is often missed when they are presented in rapid succession among distractors. In our previous work, we showed that the size of the AB can be changed by applying transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC) (London & Slagter, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 33, 756-68, 2021). Although AB size at the group level remained unchanged, the effects of anodal and cathodal tDCS were negatively correlated: if a given individual's AB size decreased from baseline during anodal tDCS, their AB size would increase during cathodal tDCS, and vice versa. Here, we attempted to replicate this finding. We found no group effects of tDCS, as in the original study, but we no longer found a significant negative correlation. We present a series of statistical measures of replication success, all of which confirm that both studies are not in agreement. First, the correlation here is significantly smaller than a conservative estimate of the original correlation. Second, the difference between the correlations is greater than expected due to sampling error, and our data are more consistent with a zero-effect than with the original estimate. Finally, the overall effect when combining both studies is small and not significant. Our findings thus indicate that the effects of lDPLFC-tDCS on the AB are less substantial than observed in our initial study. Although this should be quite a common scenario, null findings can be difficult to interpret and are still under-represented in the brain stimulation and cognitive neuroscience literatures. An important auxiliary goal of this paper is therefore to provide a tutorial for other researchers, to maximize the evidential value from null findings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leon C. Reteig
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Lionel A. Newman
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Engineering, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - K. Richard Ridderinkhof
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Heleen A. Slagter
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Applied and Experimental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Girardeau JC, Blondé P, Makowski D, Abram M, Piolino P, Sperduti M. The impact of state and dispositional mindfulness on prospective memory: A virtual reality study. Conscious Cogn 2020; 81:102920. [PMID: 32305659 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2020.102920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Revised: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Prospective memory (PM) consists of remembering to perform an action that was previously planned. The recovery and execution of these actions require attentional resources. Mindfulness, as a state or a dispositional trait, has been associated with better attentional abilities while mind wandering is linked with attentional failures. In this study, we investigated the impact of mindfulness on PM. Eighty participants learned 15 cue-action associations. They were, then, asked to recall the actions at certain moments (time-based items) or places (event-based items) during a walk in a virtual town. Before the PM task, participants were randomly assigned to a mindfulness or mind wandering (control condition) session. Dispositional mindfulness was measured via the Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Although considered as two opposite states, we did not report any difference between the two groups on PM abilities. Nevertheless, the natural tendency to describe one's own sensations (the Describing facet of the FFMQ) predicted time-based performance in both groups. We discuss different hypotheses to explain this finding in light of recent findings on the impact of mind wandering on future oriented cognition. Our main observation is a positive link between the Describing facet and time-based PM performances. We propose that this link could be due to the common association of this mindfulness facets and PM with attentional and interoceptive abilities. Additional studies are needed to explore this hypothesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Charles Girardeau
- Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau & Cognition (MC(2)Lab, EA7536), Institut de Psychologie, Université de Paris, Paris, France.
| | - Philippe Blondé
- Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau & Cognition (MC(2)Lab, EA7536), Institut de Psychologie, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Dominique Makowski
- School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Maria Abram
- Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau & Cognition (MC(2)Lab, EA7536), Institut de Psychologie, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Pascale Piolino
- Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau & Cognition (MC(2)Lab, EA7536), Institut de Psychologie, Université de Paris, Paris, France; Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), France
| | - Marco Sperduti
- Laboratoire Mémoire, Cerveau & Cognition (MC(2)Lab, EA7536), Institut de Psychologie, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Overlapping attentional networks yield divergent behavioral predictions across tasks: Neuromarkers for diffuse and focused attention? Neuroimage 2020; 209:116535. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
|
8
|
Daprati E, Sirigu A, Desmurget M, Nico D. Superstitious beliefs and the associative mind. Conscious Cogn 2019; 75:102822. [DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2019.102822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
|
9
|
Remember to blink: Reduced attentional blink following instructions to forget. Atten Percept Psychophys 2019; 80:1489-1503. [PMID: 29691764 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-018-1528-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
This study used rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) to determine whether, in an item-method directed forgetting task, study word processing ends earlier for forget words than for remember words. The critical manipulation required participants to monitor an RSVP stream of black nonsense strings in which a single blue word was embedded. The next item to follow the word was a string of red fs that instructed the participant to forget the word or green rs that instructed the participant to remember the word. After the memory instruction, a probe string of black xs or os appeared at postinstruction positions 1-8. Accuracy in reporting the identity of the probe string revealed an attenuated attentional blink following instructions to forget. A yes-no recognition task that followed the study trials confirmed a directed forgetting effect, with better recognition of remember words than forget words. Considered in the context of control conditions that required participants to commit either all or none of the study words to memory, the pattern of probe identification accuracy following the directed forgetting task argues that an intention to forget releases limited-capacity attentional resources sooner than an instruction to remember-despite participants needing to maintain an ongoing rehearsal set in both cases.
Collapse
|
10
|
Abstract
If two to-be-identified targets are presented in close temporal succession, identification for the second target is typically impaired. This attentional blink (AB) phenomenon has long been considered as a robust, universal cognitive limitation. However, more recent studies have demonstrated that AB task performance greatly differs between individuals, with some individuals even showing no AB in certain paradigms. Several studies have focused on these individual differences in an attempt to reveal the mechanism underlying the AB, but an overview of this approach is currently missing. Here, by reviewing studies regarding individual differences in AB task performance, we investigate how individual differences have contributed to our understanding of the AB. We show that the individual differences AB literature provides reliable indications that the AB is a multifaceted phenomenon that presumably arises from a combination of factors; individuals with higher levels of executive working memory (WM) functioning and broad attentional focus perform better in the AB paradigm than individuals with lower executive functioning of WM and narrow attentional focus. As it turns out, seeing the bigger picture certainly seems helpful for AB task performance.
Collapse
|
11
|
Sdoia S, Ferlazzo F. Change is good: Inter-trial switching of target category improves attentional selection in time. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2016; 164:46-55. [PMID: 26722836 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2015.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2015] [Revised: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Limitations in the rate at which our attention can sample rapidly presented visual events are reflected in the attentional blink (AB), the inability to successfully report the second of two target stimuli embedded among distractors when separated by a temporal interval of approximately 300 ms. In two experiments we tested for predictions of two accounts of AB that ascribe the phenomenon to a temporary loss of attentional control or to an overzealous application of attentional control over the input filter. Manipulating the control load during the rapid serial presentation of visual events by means of a cued attentional switching procedure, we found an AB improvement when the target category was switched from the previous trial compared to when it was repeated from the previous trial. Findings appear inconsistent with the temporary loss of control account of the AB and support the hypothesis that AB results from an over-investment of attentional control.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Sdoia
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - Fabio Ferlazzo
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Stawarczyk D, D'Argembeau A. Neural correlates of personal goal processing during episodic future thinking and mind-wandering: An ALE meta-analysis. Hum Brain Mapp 2015; 36:2928-47. [PMID: 25931002 PMCID: PMC6869624 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.22818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2014] [Revised: 04/07/2015] [Accepted: 04/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to imagine the future is a complex mental faculty that depends on an ensemble of cognitive processes supported by an extended set of brain regions. Our aim here was to shed light on one key component of future thinking--personal goal processing--and to determine its neural correlates during both directed and spontaneous forms of thoughts. To address this question, we performed separate ALE meta-analyses of neuroimaging studies of episodic future thinking (EFT), mind-wandering, and personal goal processing, and then investigated the commonalities and differences in brain activity between these three domains. The results showed that the three domains activated a common set of brain regions within the default network and, most notably, the medial prefrontal cortex. This finding suggests that the medial prefrontal cortex mediates the processing of personal goals during both EFT and mind-wandering. Differences in activation were also observed, and notably regions supporting cognitive control processes (the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) were recruited to a lesser extent during mind-wandering than experimentally directed future thinking, suggesting that different kinds of self-generated thoughts may recruit varying levels of attentional control abilities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Stawarczyk
- Department of Psychology - Cognition and Behavior, University of Liège, Belgium
| | - Arnaud D'Argembeau
- Department of Psychology - Cognition and Behavior, University of Liège, Belgium
- Cyclotron Research Center, University of Liège, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|