TY - JOUR
T1 - Beyond mind wandering
T2 - Performance variability and neural activity during off-task thought and other attention lapses
AU - Godwin, Christine A.
AU - Smith, Derek M.
AU - Schumacher, Eric H.
N1 - Funding Information:
Derek M. Smith is thankful for the support of The Therapeutic Cognitive Neuroscience Fund
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022
PY - 2023/2
Y1 - 2023/2
N2 - To study the characteristics of attention lapses, a metronome response task and experience sampling were employed while recording fMRI data. Thought prompts queried several attention states (on-task, task-related interference, off-task, inattention). Off-task thoughts were probed on whether they arose in a spontaneous or constrained (i.e., directed) manner. Increased fMRI activation was observed in the default mode network during off-task thought and in subregions of the anterior cingulate cortex and inferior frontal gyrus during inattention. Activation also increased in the left hippocampus during constrained thoughts. Functional connectivity increased between the left superior temporal sulcus and right temporoparietal junction for constrained compared to spontaneous thoughts. Overall, behavioral results indicated a monotonic increase in performance variability from on-task to inattention. However, subtle but consistent differences were observed between self-reported attention state and performance. Results are discussed from perspectives of mind wandering frameworks, the function of brain networks, and the role of engagement in off-task thought.
AB - To study the characteristics of attention lapses, a metronome response task and experience sampling were employed while recording fMRI data. Thought prompts queried several attention states (on-task, task-related interference, off-task, inattention). Off-task thoughts were probed on whether they arose in a spontaneous or constrained (i.e., directed) manner. Increased fMRI activation was observed in the default mode network during off-task thought and in subregions of the anterior cingulate cortex and inferior frontal gyrus during inattention. Activation also increased in the left hippocampus during constrained thoughts. Functional connectivity increased between the left superior temporal sulcus and right temporoparietal junction for constrained compared to spontaneous thoughts. Overall, behavioral results indicated a monotonic increase in performance variability from on-task to inattention. However, subtle but consistent differences were observed between self-reported attention state and performance. Results are discussed from perspectives of mind wandering frameworks, the function of brain networks, and the role of engagement in off-task thought.
KW - Attention
KW - Default mode network
KW - Mind wandering
KW - Performance variability
KW - Spontaneous thought
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U2 - 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103459
DO - 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103459
M3 - Article
C2 - 36709724
AN - SCOPUS:85147259521
SN - 1053-8100
VL - 108
JO - Consciousness and Cognition
JF - Consciousness and Cognition
M1 - 103459
ER -