Who can strategically modulate mind wandering? A preregistered replication and extension of Seli et al. (2018)

Mind wandering is a common everyday phenomenon, and previous research has shown that people may mind wander strategically, suggesting a sensitivity to more versus less opportune times to let our minds wander. In the current study, we aimed to replicate the evidence for strategic mind wandering and address a novel question: Who are those individuals who are more apt to strategically mind wander? Following Seli et al. Psychological Science, 29, 1247–1256, (2018a), Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 147, 431-443, participants (N = 269) completed a mind-wandering clock task with periodic thought probes to assess mind wandering and cognitive (working memory capacity [WMC] and fluid intelligence [Gf]) and dispositional (trait spontaneous and deliberate mind wandering and prospective memory ability/strategy use) individual differences measures. The results demonstrated that strategic mind wandering occurred in the mind wandering clock task, replicating previous work. Critically, only individual differences in WMC predicted the strategic modulation of mind wandering. Strategic mind wandering was more pronounced in individuals with higher WMC, such that these individuals showed a larger shift away from mind wandering in the moments before demands of the clock task were highest. This suggests people who are better at actively maintaining goal-relevant information are more strategic in decisions to mind wander. These findings highlight that mind wandering is not necessarily a failure of control, but something that people can control, especially those that are high in WMC.