Exploring patterns of ongoing thought under naturalistic and conventional task-based conditions

Konu, Delali; Mckeown, Brontë; Turnbull, Adam; Ho, Nerissa Siu Ping; Karapanagiotidis, Theodoros; Vanderwal, Tamara; McCall, Cade; Tipper, Steven P.; Jefferies, Elizabeth; Smallwood, Jonathan

doi:10.1016/j.concog.2021.103139

Cited by 43 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…This task-focused component was common in cognitively demanding tasks like tasks measuring working memory, task switching, and gambling. However, it was less observed in low-demand tasks like the SART, where self-focused off-task thoughts prevail 64 . Together, these studies suggest that being more mindful might be linked to how people engage with tasks, perhaps by doing so in a more focused way.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…One may argue that a further reason for low associations between MW and trait mindfulness could be that the on-task state is more heterogeneous than previously thought. Heterogeneous on-task states were identified by assessing ongoing thought with multidimensional experience sampling (MDES), i.e., extending ES with several questions inquiring about the thoughts’ content and nature 64 . Principal component analysis (PCA) of MDES data revealed several components taxing into the on-task state, which were associated with distinct neural correlates 65 – 68 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent methodological developments in MW research highlight limitations in our findings and offer advice for future research. Contemporary studies of ongoing thought that utilized MDES show that different tasks used in MW research elicit several distinct thought patterns to varying degrees 64 , 67 . Our study is consequently limited by the fact that we only used the SART to investigate the association between individual variation in mindfulness and MW instead of several tasks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our study is consequently limited by the fact that we only used the SART to investigate the association between individual variation in mindfulness and MW instead of several tasks. The SART also has the limitation that it does not lead to much detailed task focus and tends to stimulate self-focused MW 64 . Due to that, it is unclear whether our findings generalize to other tasks or whether they are specific to the SART and thus to those types of ongoing thoughts more likely to be evoked by the SART like self-focused MW.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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On the relationship between mind wandering and mindfulness

Belardi¹,

Chaieb

Rey-Mermet³

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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Mind wandering (MW) and mindfulness have both been reported to be vital moderators of psychological wellbeing. Here, we aim to examine how closely associated these phenomena are and evaluate the psychometrics of measures often used to quantify them. We investigated two samples, one consisting of German-speaking unpaid participants (GUP, n $$=$$ = 313) and one of English-speaking paid participants (EPP, n $$=$$ = 228) recruited through MTurk.com. In an online experiment, we collected data using the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and the sustained attention to response task (SART) during which self-reports of MW and meta-awareness of MW were recorded using experience sampling (ES) probes. Internal consistency of the MAAS was high (Cronbachs $$\alpha$$ α of 0.96 in EPP and 0.88 in GUP). Split-half reliability for SART measures and self-reported MW was overall good with the exception of SART measures focusing on Nogo trials, and those restricted to SART trials preceding ES in a 10 s time window. We found a moderate negative association between trait mindfulness and MW as measured with ES probes in GUP, but not in EPP. Our results suggest that MW and mindfulness are on opposite sides of a spectrum of how attention is focused on the present moment and the task at hand.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

On the relationship between mind wandering and mindfulness

Belardi¹,

Chaieb

Rey-Mermet³

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…In addition, it would be important for future work to establish the phenomenology of participants’ thoughts also in a bottom-up fashion and not exclusively by imposing a structure based on previous findings (as in this study). In this sense, working with open-ended participants’ reports and data-driven analysis techniques, such as principal component analysis or thematic analysis, may hold a stronger potential to unveil the underlying low-level phenomenological structure of ongoing thoughts [ 85 ]. Identified themes could then be further explored in connection with personality data to test the relative extent to which music and personality can shape them.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mind-Wandering during Personal Music Listening in Everyday Life: Music-Evoked Emotions Predict Thought Valence

Taruffi

2021

IJERPH

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Research has shown that mind-wandering, negative mood, and poor wellbeing are closely related, stressing the importance of exploring contexts or tools that can stimulate positive thoughts and images. While music represents a promising option, work on this topic is still scarce with only a few studies published, mainly featuring laboratory or online music listening tasks. Here, I used the experience sampling method for the first time to capture mind-wandering during personal music listening in everyday life, aiming to test for the capacity of music to facilitate beneficial styles of mind-wandering and to explore its experiential characteristics. Twenty-six participants used a smart-phone application that collected reports of thought, mood, and emotion during music listening or other daily-life activities over 10 days. The application was linked to a music playlist, specifically assembled to induce positive and relaxing emotions. Results showed that mind-wandering evoked during music and non-music contexts had overall similar characteristics, although some minor differences were also observed. Most importantly, music-evoked emotions predicted thought valence, thereby indicating music as an effective tool to regulate thoughts via emotion. These findings have important applications for music listening in daily life as well as for the use of music in health interventions.

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Cluster-based characterization of consistencies in individuals' thought profiles at rest in a cohort of 1779 French university students

2022

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Is ongoing conscious thought spontaneous and situation-related, or is it recurrent and dependent on psychological dispositions? The answer is critical for resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) paradigms that seek to correlate neuroanatomical states with conscious mental states. The goal of the present study was to characterize individual resting state thought profiles (RSTPs) and identify the recurrent ones, i.e., that could both be predicted by personality traits and predict subsequent negative affective states. The 1779 participants had a mean age of 22.1 years, 71.8% were females, and 71.8% were undergraduates. We collected the form and content of their thoughts during a 15-min RSFC session with a computerized retrospective self-questionnaire (ReSQ 2.0). Subsamples of participants also completed online autoquestionnaires assessing their psychological maturity and trait negative affectivity (with a four-day gap on average, N = 1270) and subsequent depressive and anxious states (1.4 years later on average, N = 922). Based on the multiple correspondence and clustering analyses of the ReSQ 2.0 responses, we identified six RSTPs distinctive by their content scope, temporal orientation, empathetic concern, and emotional valence. Multivariate analyses revealed that the probability of experiencing five of the six RSTPs was predicted by trait negative affectivity interacting with psychological maturity. Among them, a negatively valenced RSTP also increased the likelihood of subsequent negative affective states, suggesting its stable and recurrent nature. Identifying recurrent RSTPs is helpful for the future understanding of RSTPs’ contribution to RSFC. Additionally, it will be relevant to test whether acting on psychological maturity can alter the relationship between ongoing conscious thought and negative affectivity.

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Exploring patterns of ongoing thought under naturalistic and conventional task-based conditions

Cited by 43 publications

References 72 publications

On the relationship between mind wandering and mindfulness

On the relationship between mind wandering and mindfulness

Mind-Wandering during Personal Music Listening in Everyday Life: Music-Evoked Emotions Predict Thought Valence

Cluster-based characterization of consistencies in individuals' thought profiles at rest in a cohort of 1779 French university students

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