Minding the details of mind wandering
It’s long been associated with failing grades and accidents behind the wheel, but it turns out that the wandering mind may be far more complex than many believe. A new article by Paul Seli, a postdoctoral fellow working in the lab of Dan Schacter, the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Psychology, examines variations in mind wandering. In the article, Seli and colleagues argue that mind wandering happens both with and without intention, noting important differences between the two in terms of causes and consequences. The research pointing to this conclusion is outlined in a paper in Trends in Cognitive Sciences. Researchers first began examining mind wandering — or “task-unrelated images and thoughts” — in the late 1970s. Despite a noted difference between intentional and unintentional modes, the distinction had little impact on the field and consequently fell by the wayside. “Over the years, a number of different constructs have been unified under...