Examining the association between vigilance and mind wandering

Schwartzman, Brooke; Zanesco, Anthony P.; Denkova, Ekaterina; Tsukahara, Jason S.; Jha, Amishi P. · 2025 · DOAJ

DOI: 10.3389/fcogn.2025.1577053

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Summary

This study investigates the relationship between the vigilance decrement—performance decline over time-on-task—and mind wandering, specifically examining whether this association persists in shorter-duration tasks administered online. While prior research has linked increased mind wandering to performance declines in longer tasks (e.g., 20-minute military samples), it remains unclear if these dynamics replicate in abbreviated, remote contexts relevant to college students. The authors aimed to validate a 10-minute online version of the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) and determine if self-reported motivation, interest, and difficulty moderate these effects. The researchers recruited 310 undergraduate students who completed the 10-minute SART via a web-based platform. Participants responded to digits, withholding responses for the target digit "3." Throughout the task, 15 experience sampling probes assessed mind wandering. Performance was measured using signal detection sensitivity ($A'$) and response time intra-individual coefficient of variation (RT ICV). Bivariate growth curve modeling was employed to analyze within-task changes in performance and mind wandering, as well as their covariance. Self-reported ratings of motivation, interest, and difficulty were included as person-level moderators. Results indicated that accuracy ($A'$) decreased linearly over time, while both response time variability (RT ICV) and mind wandering increased. Crucially, within-task declines in accuracy and increases in response time variability were significantly associated with increases in mind wandering. Specifically, the covariance between slopes showed that individuals with greater increases in mind wandering experienced steeper declines in performance metrics. Furthermore, self-reported motivation and interest acted as protective factors; participants with higher motivation and interest demonstrated reduced increases in both mind wandering and response time variability over the course of the task. Perceived difficulty also moderated mind wandering increases, though its effect on performance variability was less consistent. These findings confirm that mind wandering contributes to the vigilance decrement even in short-duration, online tasks, supporting theoretical accounts that link attentional lapses to task-unrelated thoughts. The study validates the utility of abbreviated online paradigms for assessing sustained attention in academic populations. Additionally, the results highlight the role of intrinsic factors, suggesting that higher task motivation and interest can buffer against the performance costs associated with mind wandering. This implies that interventions aimed at enhancing engagement may mitigate attentional failures in time-pressured or remote learning environments.

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Topics

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• sustained attention vigilance
• mind wandering
• vigilance
• cognitive
• time on task