The Relationship between Concentration Effort, Focus Back Effort, Focus Back State, and Mind Wandering

TL;DR

This study explores how concentration and focus efforts relate to mind wandering and task performance.

Contribution

The study introduces focus back effort as a mediator between concentration effort and focus back state.

Findings

Concentration effort, focus back effort, focus back state, and mind wandering are significantly correlated.

Focus back effort mediates the relationship between concentration effort and focus back state.

These cognitive measures independently affect task performance through their influence on mind wandering.

Abstract

Focus back effort, concentration effort, and focus back state are factors associated with mind wandering. Focus back effort, proposed in alignment with the definition of focus back state, has been previously regarded as one manifestation of concentration effort. The primary goals of the current study are to explore the relationship between concentration effort, focus back effort, focus back state, and mind wandering. To shed light on the issue, we assessed the level of each cognitive measure in a single task. The findings revealed significant correlations between concentration effort, focus back effort, focus back state, and mind wandering. Mediation analysis suggested that focus back effort played a mediating role in the relationship between concentration effort and focus back state. Additionally, we observed that these measures independently influenced task performance through their impact on mind wandering. Our results provide potential avenues for interventions aimed at addressing individuals’ mind wandering and enhancing task performance.

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