The metronome response task for measuring mind wandering: Replication attempt and extension of three studies by Seli et
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The metronome response task for measuring mind wandering: Replication attempt and extension of three studies by Seli et al Thomas Anderson 1
&
Rotem Petranker 2 & Hause Lin 1 & Norman A.S. Farb 3
# The Psychonomic Society, Inc. 2020
Abstract Science requires replicable tools to measure its intended constructs. Attention research has developed tools that have been used in mind-wandering research, but mind-wandering measures often rely on response-inhibition, which introduces speed-accuracy trade-offs that may conflate errors for mind-wandering. We sought to replicate three studies that used an improved mindwandering measure: the Metronome Response Task (MRT). In a large (N=300) multisite sample, the primary MRT finding was replicated, showing that continuous rhythmic response time variability reliably predicted self-reported mind-wandering. Our findings also show previously undetected differences between intentional and unintentional mind-wandering. While previously reported mediators (motivation) and moderators (confidence) did not replicate, additional covariates add predictive value and additional constructs (e.g., boredom, effort) demonstrate convergent validity. The MRT is useful for inducing and measuring mind-wandering and provides an especially replicable tool. The MRT’s measurement of attention could support future models of the complete cycle of sustained attention. Keywords Mind-wandering . Attention . Variability . Behavioural . Continuous performance task . Boredom
Introduction Paying attention is a constant challenge. Mind-wandering (MW), conceived of here as task-unrelated thoughts, has been linked to numerous deleterious outcomes including negative Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-020-02131-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Thomas Anderson [email protected] Rotem Petranker [email protected] Hause Lin [email protected] Norman A.S. Farb [email protected] 1
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 27 King’s College Cir, Toronto, ON M5S 3H7, Canada
2
Department of Psychology, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
3
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
affect (Killingsworth & Gilbert, 2010), decreased reading comprehension (Franklin, Mooneyham, Baird, & Schooler, 2014), diminished driving ability (Yanko & Spalek, 2014), and lower cognitive test scores (Mrazek et al., 2012), though MW can be beneficial in some contexts, for example for creativity (Mooneyham & Schooler, 2013; Schooler et al., 2014). Efficiently detecting MW during tasks could allow for valuable corrective interventions, reducing the impact of attentional lapses. Several behavioral tasks have been created to assess sustained attention (see Fortenbaugh, DeGutis, & Esterman, 2017, for an extended treatment), but these often emphasise response-inhibition rather than characterizing
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