Unravelling the threads of thought: Probing the impact of contextual factors on mind wandering

This study investigated the influence of contextual factors on mind wandering (MW) by leveraging an online platform for an established laboratory task. We investigated how direct performance feedback, information about task progression, and the feeling of being monitored influenced performance indices in a task used to investigate the effect of MW on executive control. Our results indicate that specific performance feedback, and not general positive feedback, consistently improved performance, while neither impacted self-reported MW. Conversely, feedback on task progression and the feeling of being monitored increased self-reported MW, possibly reflecting participant self-awareness due to contextual distractions. Intriguingly, information relaying task progression also substantially increased performance. These findings highlight the potential of performance feedback to reduce the negative effects of MW on task performance in an online setting. Additionally, the findings suggest that information about task progression, as well as the notion of being monitored during the experiment can influence task focus and should be taken into consideration when investigating fluctuations of attention during cognitive tasks.