Abstract:

Humans spend a significant amount of time engaged in mind wandering. While it is a common cognitive state, it is often seen as a hindrance to productivity and daily functioning. Minimizing its frequency is crucial for maintaining focus and efficiency in academic, professional, and personal life. This study is grounded in the resource control theory of mind wandering and the dynamic framework model, proposing that focus back effort reflects executive control and the intentional constraint of thought. Specifically, resource control theory emphasizes the role of executive control in reducing mind wandering. Focus back effort training enhances this process by lowering the depletion of executive control resources, thereby minimizing the extent to which mind wandering consumes task-related resources. The dynamic framework model, on the other hand, highlights both automatic and intentional constraints on thought. Focus back effort represents intentional constraint, and training reduces the reliance on such deliberate control, making thoughts more likely to automatically return to the task at hand, ultimately decreasing mind wandering. The method of using focus back effort training to reduce the frequency of mind wandering is beneficial to make up for the resource consumption caused by the de-automation of mindfulness training. From the perspective of cognitive intervention, combined with brain imaging methods, this paper intends to conduct research in the following three aspects. Firstly, behavioral experiments and task-state magnetic resonance imaging data are used in the laboratory to explore the effectiveness of the intervention of focus back effort training on mind wandering and task performance and to reveal its cognitive neural mechanism. Secondly, the laboratory research was extended to life situations to investigate the effects of focus back effort training in life situation. Finally, the research explores the effect of focus back effort training on classroom mind wandering and academic performance of primary and middle school students.

Resource control theory focuses on the irrelevance of task-unrelated content, while the dynamic framework model emphasizes the fluid transition between different mental contents. This study proposes that focus back effort embodies key elements of both theories: executive control from resource control theory and thought constraint from the dynamic framework model. Both executive control and thought constraint are considered higher-order structures of mind wandering. Investigating the effects of focus back effort training on mind wandering can help validate the hierarchical nature of these two theories. Furthermore, by employing multimodal research methods to effectively reduce the frequency of mind wandering across different contexts, this study not only provides robust empirical support for and extends these theoretical frameworks but also facilitates the integration of static and dynamic perspectives. Ultimately, this contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying mind wandering.

Beyond these contributions, this study presents several key innovations:

First, it pioneers the intervention of mind wandering through psychological factors, a novel approach proposed by our research team. While previous studies have primarily focused on correlational findings, this study advances the field by developing a focus back effort training paradigm and conducting longitudinal intervention research to establish causal relationships, thereby extending prior work. Second, it integrates behavioral experiments with functional magnetic resonance imaging studies, conducting research both in controlled laboratory settings and ecologically valid real-life contexts. This dual approach ensures that the findings are not only scientifically rigorous but also broadly applicable, offering new insights for future research in mind wandering and consciousness. Finally, as mind wandering is a pervasive phenomenon in daily life, exploring its cognitive and neural mechanisms in real-world contexts provides valuable strategies for mitigating its negative impact on work and daily functioning. Moreover, applying focus back effort training in classrooms to reduce mind wandering among primary and secondary school students and enhance academic performance has significant educational implications.

Key words: mind wandering, focus back effort training, cognitive neural mechanism, resource control hypothesis, dynamic neural model