Mind Wandering, Fidgeting And Attention
Christopher Philip
Fidgeting as a sign of discomfort.
It’s well known that people spend a good deal of time allowing their minds to wander. It has been shown that it is largely beneficial, but in certain situation, permitting the mind to wander can be particularly costly. For example, during an important lecture, a momentary loss of attention can mean missed information. It has been shown that frequent mind wandering is inversely correlated with memory for the lecture. The more the mind wanders, the less it absorbs. Cumulative effects of loss of attention over the course of a lecture series can produce a spotty education at best!
Previous research has shown that mind wandering does in fact impair memory for lecture material. Lectures, as we know, utilize both live presentation by an instructor coupled with video. This frequently makes review of the presentation impossible. Researchers understand that listening to a lecture is a form of “sustained attention,” meaning it requires a student to hold their focus for a long duration. It’s also known that the longer the lecture, the greater is the focus required to keep on task.
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The Study
In the current research, James Farley, University of Alberta, Canada, Even Risko, University of Waterloo, Canada and Alan Kingston, University of British Columbia, Canada sought to measure the influence of time on attention, fidgeting and memory within a lecture.
The study had 21 students view a 40 minute lecture. At 5 minute intervals the students reported their attention state. On the completion of the lecture they were assessed on their recall during each 5 minute interval which included 3 questions. Unknown to the students, but the researchers secretly recorded them to record their fidgeting.
Results
The results showed that as fidgeting increases, attention decreases and this worked as a function of time. The longer the task, the greater the attention lose and the greater the level of fidgeting.
Interestingly, only macro-movements proved to have a predictive value to attention. Macro-fidgeting included any movement where a part of the body was moved to a new location which it did not occupy previously. For example, the arm moved from one side of the body to the other. Micro-fidgeting was defined as a small movement where the part of the body moved in one direction but returned soon after to its original position.
Macro-movements therefore, likely make better predictors of loss of attention than small micro-movements. This is something to be conscious of if it’s vital for your audience to be paying attention. Also discovered was that as an individual’s attention drops according to their rating, their retention for the material also drops.
Conclusion
Earlier theories have said that fidgeting might be a tactic used by people to increase their attention as it wanes. The body is set into motion in order to reactivate. However, their data does not support this idea, instead they suggest that fidgeting may be a signal that the body is suffering discomfort. That sustained attention is a particularly stressful event to the body. Attention is a form of cognitive stress and the body fidgets indicating the pain it is enduring.
Monitory the self and others for fidgeting is especially important. Fidgeting in others, especially macro-fidgeting, tells us that our audience isn’t fully absorbing the material. If we find ourselves in a state of fidget, it also says we’re suffering. When fidgeting is occurring, it makes good sense to take a break.
Pre-scheduling breaks into a lecture or presentation, especially with material that is particularly mentally taxing, is a great way to ease discomfort and provide the opportunity for the mind to recover.
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Resources
Farley, James; Risko, Evan F; Kingstone, Alan. Everyday Attention And Lecture Retention: The Effects Of Time, Fidgeting, And Mind Wandering. Frontiers In Psychology, 2019; 4: 619
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