Mapping the Relationship Between Core Executive Functions and Mind Wandering in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review

Internationally, there are several studies that examined the relationship between core executive functions (working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility) and mind wandering. These studies focused mostly on adult samples and there are fewer studies that examined this relationship with children and adolescent samples. Therefore, the current systematic review aims to identify and critically examine the existing peer-reviewed literature on the relationship between the core executive functions and mind wandering. Journal articles reporting quantitative results were identified through keyword searches in PsycINFO, Scopus, and PubMed. In total, 750 references were identified using the specified keywords. Among those, only ten studies were deemed to fit the inclusion criteria. The majority of the studies employed behavioural measures. The evidence on the relationship between the core executive functions and mind wandering was rather scarce and mixed. Most of the studies suggest that working memory capacity is critical for reduced mind wandering. The evidence regarding inhibitory control is rather mixed. Cognitive flexibility may underpin adaptive reallocation of attention between internal and external states, producing performance declines. The directional nature of the relationship between the three core executive functions and mind wandering is largely an unresolved matter, which requires further research.