Understanding the Basic Mechanisms of Attentional Engagement and Disengagement

当注意力从给定的任务中脱离出来时，表现可能会受到损害，有时会带来灾难性的后果。然而，当注意力完全投入时，人们可以体验到深度和毫不费力的专注和高水平的表现。拟议的工作包括三条研究路线，旨在探索认知机制的各种状态沿着频谱的注意参与和脱离。 研究的第一条线将研究思维漫游（MW）的基本机制，它被定义为将注意力从主要任务转移到无关的想法。相反，在文献中的共同观点，情节MW反映不必要的失败的执行控制过程中，拟议的工作旨在评估在何种程度上，人们战略性地参与MW和检查外源控制因素和机制参与这些战略转变。具体来说，目标是检查一个人对任务结构的预知程度（例如，预期的长度和难度）可以导致MW的策略性和动态调制。 第二条研究路线将研究迅速增长的自愿媒体多任务处理行为（vMMT;例如，在写作时播放YouTube视频）。虽然vMMT通常被认为是一种缺乏自我控制的冲动行为，但拟议的工作将研究人们是否聪明地和战略性地参与vMMT。具体来说，我们将研究人们是否从事vMMT战略服务性能无关的目标，如减少无聊和增加任务的乐趣。此外，我们还将研究人们是否能够根据主要任务需求的每时每刻的变化快速调整他们与媒体的接触。第三条研究路线将检查深度和毫不费力的注意力集中（DEC）状态，我们认为这是峰值注意力投入（“流”）的核心特征。拟议中的研究将测试理论观点，即DEC发生在有限的注意力资源得到最佳利用时（即，未充分利用和未过度延伸），这被认为是在任务需求与可用资源量紧密匹配时发生的。 综上所述，所提出的研究准备揭示的基本认知机制参与的战略方面的注意力投入和脱离。这些研究是与我实验室的受训者合作设计的，目的是最大限度地提高他们的学习和技能发展机会。这项研究的长期目标是发现可以实施的策略，以减少注意力失败，并最大限度地提高注意力集中的峰值时刻。这些战略将有助于提高在重要情况下的业绩（例如，学习）并减少灾难性事故（例如，机动车事故）在安全关键设置。

When attention becomes disengaged from a given task, performance can be impaired, sometimes with catastrophic consequences. When attention is fully engaged, however, people can experience moments of deep and effortless concentration and a high level of performance. The proposed work includes three lines of research designed to explore the cognitive mechanisms underlying a variety of states along the spectrum of attentional engagement and disengagement. The first line of research will examine the basic mechanisms underlying mind wandering (MW), which is defined as the shifting of attention from a primary task to unrelated thoughts. In contrast to the common view in the literature that episodes of MW reflect unwanted failures of executive control processes, the proposed work seeks to evaluate the extent to which people strategically engage in MW and to examine the exogenous control factors and mechanisms involved in these strategic shifts. Specifically, the objective is to examine the extent to which a person's foreknowledge of a task's structure (e.g., expected length and difficulty) can lead to strategic and dynamic modulation of MW. The second line of research will examine the rapidly growing behavior of voluntary media multitasking (vMMT; e.g., playing a YouTube video while writing). Although vMMT can often be thought of as an impulsive behavior that results from a lack of self-control, the proposed work will examine whether people engage in vMMT intelligently and strategically. Specifically we will examine whether people engage in vMMT to strategically service performance-unrelated goals such as reducing boredom and increasing task enjoyment. In addition, we will examine whether people are able to rapidly modulate their engagement with media based on moment-to-moment changes in primary task demands. The third line of research will  examine the state of deep and effortless concentration (DEC), which we have argued is the core feature of peak attentional engagement (`flow'). The proposed studies will test the theoretical view that DEC occurs when limited attentional resources are optimally employed (i.e., not underused and not overstretched), which is thought to occur when task demands closely match the amount of available resources. Taken together, the proposed studies are poised to uncover the basic cognitive mechanisms involved in the strategic aspects of attentional engagement and disengagement. The studies have been designed in collaboration with the trainees in my laboratory, with the added goal of maximizing their learning and skill development opportunities. The long-term goal of the research is to uncover strategies that can be implemented to reduce attentional failures and maximize moments of peak attentional focus. Such strategies will help improve performance in important contexts (e.g., learning) and reduce catastrophic accidents (e.g., motor vehicle accidents) in safety-critical settings.