title: Differential recruitment of executive resources during mind wandering.
abstract: Recent research has shown that mind wandering recruits executive resources away from the external task towards inner thoughts. No studies however have determined whether executive functions are drawn away in a unitary manner during mind wandering episodes, or whether there is variation in specific functions impacted. Accordingly, we examined whether mind wandering differentially modulates three core executive functions-response inhibition, updating of working memory, and mental set shifting. In three experiments, participants performed one of these three executive function tasks and reported their attentional state as either on-task or mind wandering at random intervals. We found that mind wandering led to poorer performance in the response inhibition and working memory tasks, but not the set-shifting task. These findings suggest that mind wandering does not recruit executive functions in a monolithic manner. Rather, it appears to selectively engage certain executive functions, which may reflect the adaptive maintenance of ongoing task performance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Canada. Electronic address: kamjulia@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Julia W Y
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kam
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Todd C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Handy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Executive function; Information updating; Mind wandering; Response inhibition; Set-shifting; Task-related attention; Working memory