Understanding and modifying mind wandering

注意力很难持续很长一段时间，往往甚至很难持续几分钟。结果，大多数人发现他们的思想经常从他们应该做的事情上转移到其他紧迫的问题上。虽然我们知道保持注意力是困难的，但我们还不完全理解为什么会这样，或者我们能做些什么。因此，拟议研究的主要目标是更好地了解支持注意力维持的基本机制。然而，除了对这些基本机制的简单识别和理解外，拟议中的研究还有可能减少因疏忽而发生灾难性错误的频率，如车祸和火车相撞。这项研究计划分为三个相关的阶段，旨在首先确定注意力(一种精神状态)与身体、可观察到的行为之间联系的重要特征。后来，这些特征提供了对注意力的更好的识别和操纵。*最近的研究支持了这样的观点，即当一个人的注意力从手头的任务上移开时，它与更多的坐立不安有关。这表明有一种强烈的身心联系，并提供了一种重要的方法来检测注意力不集中而不分散个人的注意力。另一种检查身心联系的方法是更直接地从大脑活动的角度来衡量注意力。最近廉价的大脑监测设备的发展为在日常情况下监测注意力提供了新的机会。然而，这些新设备的使用首先需要科学验证。因此，拟议研究的第一阶段旨在更好地识别注意力不明显的指标，以便提高我们预测注意力不集中的能力，并在以后操纵注意力。*拟议研究项目的第二阶段旨在提高我们预测注意力不集中的能力。虽然第一阶段应该识别与注意力丧失相关的可观察特征，但它们不太可能提供完美的预测。在拟议的研究计划的第二阶段，我们将试图通过发展身心联系的一般原理(在身体运动和大脑活动的背景下)和特定的个体模型来提高预测力，这些模型可以在短暂的校准期后改善个体内注意力不集中的预测。*第三阶段旨在提高我们操纵注意力不集中的能力。虽然在这一领域已经做了一些研究，但还不清楚如何在不最终减少一个人对手头任务的关注的情况下操纵注意力。将探索不同的方法来提示注意，并减少注意力不集中。这第三个阶段将有助于在学术上理解注意力不集中和改善现实世界情景中的注意力之间建立联系。

Attention is difficult to sustain for extended periods of time, and often difficult to sustain for even a few minutes. As a result most people find their thoughts regularly drift away from what they are supposed to be doing to other pressing concerns. While we know maintaining attention is difficult, we do not yet fully understand why this is the case, or what we can do about it. The primary goal for the proposed research is therefore to better understand the basic mechanisms supporting the maintenance of attention. Beyond simple identification and understanding of these basic mechanisms, however, the proposed research also holds the potential to reduce the frequency of catastrophic mistakes that occur as a result of inattention such as car accidents and train crashes. This research program is divided into three related phases, designed to first identify important characteristics of the link between attention (a mental state) and physical, observable, behaviour. Later, these characteristics afford improved identification and manipulation of attention.***Recent research has supported the notion that when one's mind wanders away from the task at hand it is associated with increased fidgeting. This suggests there is a strong mind-body link, and provides one important method for detecting inattention without distracting the individual. Another way to examine the mind-body link is to more directly measure attention in terms of brain activity. The recent development of inexpensive brain monitoring devices provides new opportunities to monitor attention in everyday situations. The use of these new devices requires scientific validation first, however. Accordingly, the first phase of the proposed research is designed to better identify unobtrusive indicators of inattention, in order to improve our ability to predict and, later, manipulate inattention.****The second phase of the proposed research project is designed to improve our ability to predict inattention. Whereas the first phase should identify observable characteristics that are associated with a loss of attention, they are unlikely to offer perfect prediction. In the second phase of the proposed research program we will try to improve prediction by developing both general principles of the mind-body link (in the context of body movement and brain activity) and specific individual models that can improve the prediction of inattention within individuals after a brief calibration period.****The third phase is designed to improve our ability to manipulate inattention. While some research has already been done in this area, it is not yet clear how to manipulate attention without ultimately decreasing one's focus on the task at hand. Different methods of cueing attention, and reducing inattention, will be explored. This third phase will help forge a link between academic understanding of inattention and improvement of attention in real-world scenarios.***