Understanding and modifying mind wandering

理解和改变走神

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-06749
• 负责人: Carriere, Jonathan
• 金额: $ 1.82万
• 依托单位: Bishop's University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=681260
• 关键词: Understanding; modifying; mind; wandering

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.***

注意力很难维持很长一段时间，甚至很难维持几分钟。因此，大多数人发现他们的思想经常从他们应该做的事情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保持注意力的基本机制。然而，除了对这些基本机制的简单识别和理解之外，拟议的研究还可能减少由于疏忽而发生的灾难性错误的频率，例如车祸和火车相撞。该研究计划分为三个相关阶段，旨在首先确定注意力（一种精神状态）与身体，可观察行为之间联系的重要特征。后来，这些特征提供了改进的识别和注意力的操纵。最近的研究支持了这样一种观点，即当一个人的思想从手头的任务中游离出来时，它与增加的坐立不安有关。这表明存在一种强烈的身心联系，并提供了一种检测注意力不集中而不分散个体注意力的重要方法。另一种检验身心联系的方法是从大脑活动的角度更直接地测量注意力。最近开发的廉价的大脑监测设备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集中的非侵入性指标，以提高我们预测和稍后操纵注意力不集中的能力。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。在拟议研究计划的第二阶段，我们将尝试通过开发身心联系的一般原则（在身体运动和大脑活动的背景下）和特定的个体模型来改善预测，这些模型可以在短暂的校准期后改善对个体注意力不集中的预测。第三个阶段旨在提高我们控制注意力不集中的能力。虽然在这方面已经做了一些研究，但目前还不清楚如何在不最终降低人们对手头任务的关注的情况下操纵注意力。不同的方法提示注意力，减少注意力不集中，将探讨。这第三阶段将有助于在注意力不集中的学术理解和现实世界中注意力的改善之间建立联系。