Dataset Information

Long-term dynamics of mind wandering: ultradian rhythms in thought generation.

ABSTRACT: Using the method of experience sampling, we studied the fluctuations in thought generation and cognitive control strength during the wakeful hours of the day, centered around episodes of mind wandering. Thought generation, measured in terms of the number of thoughts that concurrently occupy the mind at sampling time, goes through regular 4-6 h cycles, suggesting the mind operates with an alternation of focused and multitasking modes. Cognitive control strength rises and falls in relative coordination with thought generation, implying that both are occasionally misaligned. This happens, in particular, when cognitive control suddenly drops after having been keeping up with a cycle of thought generation. When this drop occurs while the thought generation cycle is still up, mind wandering appears. As cognitive control quickly resumes before returning to intermediate values, the thought generation cycle begins to fall again, and the mind wandering episode comes to an end. Implications regarding the role of long-term regulation in mind-wandering processes are discussed.

SUBMITTER: Nakatani C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6555903 | biostudies-other | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Long-term dynamics of mind wandering: ultradian rhythms in thought generation.

Nakatani Chie C Ganschow Benjamin B van Leeuwen Cees C

Neuroscience of consciousness 20190608 1

Using the method of experience sampling, we studied the fluctuations in thought generation and cognitive control strength during the wakeful hours of the day, centered around episodes of mind wandering. Thought generation, measured in terms of the number of thoughts that concurrently occupy the mind at sampling time, goes through regular 4-6 h cycles, suggesting the mind operates with an alternation of focused and multitasking modes. Cognitive control strength rises and falls in relative coordin ...[more]

PMID: 31191982

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Project description:A significant body of literature supports the contention that pupil size varies depending on cognitive load, affective state, and level of drowsiness. Here we assessed whether oculometric measures such as gaze position, blink frequency and pupil size were correlated with the occurrence and time course of self-reported mind-wandering episodes. We recorded the pupil size of two subjects engaged in a monotonous breath counting task while keeping their eyes on a fixation cross. This task is conducive to producing mind-wandering episodes. Each subject performed ten 20-min sessions, for total duration of about 4 h. Subjects were instructed to report spontaneous mind-wandering episodes by pressing a button when they lost count of their breath. After each button press, subjects filled in a short questionnaire describing the characteristics of their mind-wandering episode. We observed larger pupil size during the breath-focusing period compared to the mind-wandering period (p < 0.01 for both subjects). Our findings contradict previous research showing a higher baseline pupil size during mind wandering episodes in visual tasks. We discuss possible explanations for this discrepancy. We also analyzed nine other oculometric measures including blink rate, blink duration and gaze position. We built a support vector machine (SVM) classifier and showed that mean pupil size was the most reliable predictor of mind wandering in both subjects. The classification accuracy of mind wandering data segments vs. breath-focusing data segments was 81% for the first subject and 77% for the second subject. Additionally, we analyzed oculometric measures in light of the phenomenological data collected in the questionnaires. We showed that how well subjects remembered their thoughts while mind wandering was positively correlated with pupil size (subject 1, p < 0.001; subject 2, p < 0.05). Feelings of well being were also positively correlated with pupil size (subject 1, p < 0.001; subject 2, p < 0.001). Our results suggest that oculometric data could be used as a neurocognitive marker of mind-wandering episodes.

Dataset Information

Long-term dynamics of mind wandering: ultradian rhythms in thought generation.

Publications

Long-term dynamics of mind wandering: ultradian rhythms in thought generation.

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