<p>Fantasy prone individuals spend much of their time fantasizing, focusing on a rich internal world of imaginary people or stories, vivid memories, or dreams. Fantasy proneness has been linked to psychological distress and psychiatric disorders. However, few experimental studies have been conducted with fantasy prone individuals; therefore, little is known about the behavioral correlates of fantasy proneness. The current study investigated associations between self-reported fantasy proneness, as measured by a frequently used questionnaire, the CEQ, and behavior during a laboratory task of attention, the SART. A potential mood regulating function of fantasy also was explored. Results of the study support the assertion that fantasy proneness is associated with variations in behavior that can be observed in the context of the laboratory. Specifically, fantasy proneness correlated with fewer instances of on-task thought and more frequent instances of mind wandering without meta-awareness during the attention task. It also correlated with more task errors and higher levels of self-reported fantasy thought during the task (though not with higher levels of other types of off-task thought). Finally, fantasy thought was found to have a protective effect on positive affect during the mundane task. There was no relationship between fantasy thought and negative affect.</p> / Dissertation

x, 133 p. ; ill. (some col.) A print copy of this title is available through the UO Libraries under the call number: SCIENCE QP405 .J67 2007 / Meditation has been defined as a "group of practices that self-regulate the body and mind, thereby affecting mental events by engaging a specific attentional set" (Cahn & Polich, 2006). We conducted a randomized, longitudinal trial to examine the effects of concentrative meditation training (40 min/day, 5 days/week for 8 weeks) on top-down, voluntary control of attention with a progressive muscle relaxation training group as a control. To determine if training produced changes in attentional network efficiency we compared, pre- and post-training, mean validity effect scores (difference between invalid cue and center cue reaction time) in the contingent capture paradigm (Folk et al., 1992). The meditation group showed a trend towards improvement of top-down attention while the relaxation group did not. Using EEG we assessed the changes in amplitudes of wavelets during periods of mind-wandering and meditation. Periods in which subjects were on- vs. off-focus during the meditation task were identified by asking subjects to make button presses whenever the mind wandered and also at probe tones, if they were off-focus. After training, the episodes of mind-wandering were significantly lower in the meditation group as compared to the relaxation group. Increased amplitudes of alpha and theta EEG frequencies in the occipital and right parietal areas were seen during the meditation task for the meditation but not the relaxation group as an effect of training. A baseline EEG trait effect of reduced mental activity was seen (meditation training: occipital and right parietal areas; relaxation training: only occipital areas). Within a given meditation session, prior to training, alpha and theta activity was lower in on-focus conditions (occurring immediately after subjects discovered they were off-focus and returned to active focus on the breath/syllable) compared to meditative focus segments. After training, we found higher alpha amplitude in periods of meditative focus as compared to periods of mind wandering for both groups. However, the meditation group showed significantly higher theta amplitude than the relaxation group during the meditative state segments. / Adviser: Marjorie Woollacott

Autism poses many internal challenges, from increased sensory overwhelm and cognitive inflexibility to navigating co-occurring conditions like depression and anxiety. In addition, Autistic persons may use different internal working models to transact with other agents in the world. These population differences may result in empathy gaps. How do scientists minimize the resulting psychological distress associated with these challenges and empathy gaps? A psychoeducational program for global cognition was developed that attempts to integrate psychological research to design a prosthetic internal working model. The result is EM-Theory (Elemental Model), a 4x4 (sixteen elemental module) psychoeducational matrix called the Skew Metric. EM-Theory may evoke increased psychoeducational insight into the mechanics of cognitive architecture in a manner that is always accessible because it is optimized for limited capacity visuospatial working memory. It is hypothesized that an increased understanding of cognitive mechanics may increase capacities to self-regulate psychological distress. Emphasis was placed on four reportable elemental modules as a significant cause of psychological distress. A small conceptual study was conducted with 10 participants with autism spectrum differences (ASD) and ten participants from the typically developing population (TD). Measures were taken to capture attributes of psychological distress from four reportable elemental modules (worry, rumination, distraction from mindfulness, and loss of mental vigilance), as well as measures designed to capture each ASD participant’s relationship with internalized narratives implicating their autism. General conclusions were not drawn from this small sample study. However, individual differences were described as a proof of concept on how a quantitative test may be further developed to provide accurate and meaningful feedback to assist beyond introspection. / Graduate

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the past research that has been conducted to date on pre-shot routines in golf via a thorough review of the literature. A historical review is presented in a chronological order of research studies that have been conducted pertaining to pre-shot routines in golf over the last 40 years. From this review, the STOP S.L.O.W. GO Pre-Shot Routine Model for Golf was developed and assessed amongst college golf coaches in the United States. A total of 36 college golf coaches working at the NCAA Division I level participated in a two-round Delphi study to validate the usefulness and future utility of the STOP S.L.O.W. GO Pre-Shot Routine Model for Golf. The usefulness of the STOP S.L.O.W. GO Pre-Shot Routine Model for Golf was validated by achieving a 72.73% consensus agreement level amongst study participants. The researchers were unable to reach adequate levels of expert consensus amongst college golf coaches working at the NCAA Division I level pertaining to the future utility of the STOP S.L.O.W. GO Pre-Shot Routine Model for Golf in their golf instruction. However, it was found that future utilization rates of the model may increase if the designer of the model were to provide educational sessions to college golf coaches and members of their college golf team. Practitioners and researchers are encouraged to further examine the efficacy and future adoption rates of the STOP S.L.O.W. GO Pre-Shot Routine Model for Golf amongst golfers of all ability levels. In addition, a study examining the real adoption and utilization rates of college golf coaches working at the Division I level is encouraged upon the completion of face-to-face educational sessions by a researcher who has expertise in the area of pre-shot routines in golf.

This literature review examines the default mode network (DMN) and how its role in self related processing and narrative selfhood relates to well-being. The essay explores the DMN in three levels of activity: Firstly in normal function, where mind-wandering is positively correlated with dissatisfaction; Secondly its abnormal function in depression, characterized by excessive activity and rumination; Thirdly in its arguably improved function during mindfulness and meditation, where lower activity is associated with higher well-being, decreased mind-wandering and altered sense of self. The essay shows a relationship between the DMN and well-being, where higher activity correlates with lower well-being.

Over the past decades, there has been growing interest in whether the language people use (e.g., in social media) can reflect their well-being (WB) and ill-being (IB). However, little is known about how the content of spontaneous thoughts and experiences (e.g., reports of night-time dreams and daydreams) reflects WB and IB. The present thesis investigated whether emotional language use in dream and mind-wandering (MW; or daydreaming) reports reflects WB and IB. To this end, 1755 dream reports from 172 healthy adults and 1508 MW reports from 153 healthy adults were analyzed using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) text analysis software. Robust multiple linear regressions revealed that self-reported negative emotions over the past two weeks, as well as symptoms of anxiety and depression, predicted negative emotional language use in MW, but not dream, reports. Overall, anxiety accounted for the largest amount of variance in negative emotional language use. The findings carry theoretical implications regarding the nature as well as the function of spontaneous thoughts and experiences, while also paving the way for new diagnostic and prognostic tools in clinical contexts. Additional research is required to confirm the observed relationships and establish their causal direction.

INTRODUCTION: Academic half-days (AHDs) are regular teaching events that occur outside of patient care. AHDs often take the form of extended didactic lectures, despite the literature around effective teaching techniques. This may decrease residents’ ability to pay attention to the content being presented and instead promote mind wandering (defined in this thesis as self-reported task-unrelated thought). This thesis examines mind wandering during academic half-days (AHDs) in postgraduate medical training through two studies, with the overarching goal of understanding how results might inform the design of classroom-based teaching sessions in postgraduate medical education. METHODS: In the first study, a qualitative approach was used to examine residents’ perceptions about the nature of their learning experience during AHDs. Two focus groups were held with residents in hematology (n = 5) and obstetrics and gynecology (n = 15) and analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. In the second study, thought probes were administered approximately every 15 minutes during three AHD sessions in each program (hematology: n = 6 residents; obstetrics and gynecology: n = 30 residents) to quantitatively examine how three commonly-used instructional methods (didactic lecture, group discussion, and case-based learning) influenced mind wandering during AHDs. RESULTS: Findings of the qualitative study revealed differences with respect to residents’ overall perceptions of AHDs, perceptions of attention during AHDs, and motivations for learning. However, residents in both programs agreed that presenters could maximize resident engagement and learning by spending more time on case-based learning and group discussions as opposed to didactic lectures. Quantitative findings supported resident perceptions, demonstrating significantly less mind wandering during case-based learning (7%) than didactic lectures (33%). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this work suggest that instructional method influences the amount of self-reported mind wandering during AHDs, and specifically, that case-based learning may be more effective than didactic lectures in maintaining engagement during AHDs. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Academic half-days (AHDs) are regular teaching events that occur outside of patient care. AHDs often take the form of extended didactic lectures, despite the literature around effective teaching techniques. This may decrease residents’ ability to pay attention to the content being presented and instead promote mind wandering (defined in this thesis as self-reported task-unrelated thought). This thesis examines mind wandering during AHDs, with the goal of understanding how results might inform the design of classroom-based teaching sessions in postgraduate medical education through two studies: a qualitative study examining residents’ perceptions about their learning experience during AHDs, and a quantitative study examining how three commonly-used instructional methods (didactic lecture, group discussion, and case-based learning) influenced mind wandering during AHDs. Taken together, these two studies make a contribution to the exploration of how classroom-based teaching sessions such as AHDs can be optimized to enhance student learning in postgraduate medical education.

No description available.

Mind-wandering was until recently not a mainstream topic of research. The aim of this literature review is to present current views on the definition of mind-wandering and how the phenomenon is experienced. Furthermore, it gives an account of the implications of mind-wandering on cognitive performance, as well as its neurological correlates. In addition, the methods used to study mind-wandering are reviewed.The study of mind-wandering reveals a highly frequent phenomenon with practical consequences on a broad scale, both disruptive and supportive to goal-related behaviour and wellbeing in general. Originating from the default network, and its regions related to representations of self, memory, Theory of Mind, empathy and creativity, mind-wandering is hypothesized to be a function for planning one’s future life. Suggested further research concerns how mind-wandering can be countered, detected from the outside and whether it alters the physical feature of the brain.

Les pensées humaines changent constamment : on regarde, on se souvient, on prévoit... Mais comment les gens accèdent-ils à cette succession de leur propres pensées ? Cette thèse a étudié l’introspection de la dynamique des pensées en capitalisant sur le phénomène saillant et surprenant de la rêverie éveillée (Chapitre 1). Les rêveries sont ces pensées spontanées à propos de nos préoccupations personnelles. Je décris d’abord comment des fluctuations lentes permettent de prédire ces épisodes de rêverie (Ch. 2, 3). Mais ces dynamiques pourraient aussi déterminer le contenu et l’introspection des pensées. En effet, les patients avec des troubles de l’attention (TDAH) rapportent plus de pensées “vides” : ce qui pourrait venir de troubles de la dynamique et/ou de l’introspection de leurs pensées (Ch. 4). Par ailleurs, deux expériences et une étude sur smartphone suggèrent que le langage intérieur facilite la conscience de la rêverie (Ch. 5). Le langage contribue aux capacités de contrôle : les pensées verbales pourraient donc être plus stables et plus vives. Finalement, je suggère que la détection des pensées n’est pas un accès direct à des éléments bien définis. Il s’agirait plutôt d’un mécanisme décisionnel ajustable, qui s’applique à des variables internes continues et dynamiques, comme dans la perception où une décision s’applique à des variables externes (Ch. 6). En somme, ces études jettent une lumière nouvelle sur l’introspection humaine et retrouvent des intuitions anciennes (Ch. 7). En effet, nos données appuient une proposition philosophique faite il y a 125 ans par William James, un des pères fondateurs de la psychologie scientifique : nos pensées sont un flux continu, et détecter la rêverie dépend aussi des dynamiques de ce flux. / Humans’ conscious experience is always changing: now seeing, now remembering, now planning. Yet, how people notice the unfolding of their own thoughts remains unclear. The present thesis studied the dynamics and introspective monitoring of thoughts, by capitalizing on the salient and often unnoticed phenomenon of mind-wandering (Chapter 1). Mind-wandering is the rise of thoughts about personal concerns. Against the idea that this rise is unpredictable, I first describe the characteristics of slow rhythms that predict mind-wandering occurrences during goal-directed tasks (Ch. 2, 3). Interestingly, these dynamics may determine thought content and introspection. Indeed, patients with Attention deficits (ADHD), who would likely experience alterations in both the dynamics and introspection of mind-wandering, report more “empty thoughts” (Ch. 4). Also, two experiments and a study using smartphones suggest that inner speech facilitates awareness of mind-wandering (Ch. 5). Inner speech contributes to monitoring capacities, thus verbal thoughts could be better sustained in time, increasing their vividness. Finally, I suggest that the detection of inner thoughts is not a direct access to clear-cut elements, but rather an adjustable decision mechanism applied to internal continuous and dynamic variables, similar to what happens in perception (Ch. 6). In sum, these studies shed a new light on human’s introspection and confirm old insights (Ch. 7). Indeed, they provide empirical support to a philosophical claim made 125 years ago by William James, one of the fathers of scientific psychology: we experience a continuous stream of thought, and detecting mind-wandering may depend on these dynamics.