wandering into the future - ippm · 2017-01-19 · wandering into the future mind wandering, the...
TRANSCRIPT
Wandering Into the Futuremind wandering, the default network, and the desire for exploration
Chandra Sripada
University of Michigan
system 2 thinkingSerial Thought
IntuitiveThought Fast, Automatic, Effortless
system 1 thinking
Serial, Conscious,Intentional, EffortfulControlled/Directed
The Cognitive Science of Thinking
system 2 thinking
The Cognitive Science of Thinking
Serial Thought
IntuitiveThought Fast, Automatic, Effortless
system 1 thinking“Because so many people attended, they had to move
the ball.”
Serial, Conscious,Intentional, EffortfulControlled/Directed
system 2 thinkingSerial Thought
IntuitiveThought Fast, Automatic, Effortless
system 1 thinking“Because so many people attended, they had to move
the ball.”
Serial, Conscious,Intentional, EffortfulControlled/Directed
The Cognitive Science of Thinking
system 2 thinkingSerial Thought
IntuitiveThought Fast, Automatic, Effortless
system 1 thinking
Serial, Conscious,Intentional, EffortfulControlled/Directed
The Cognitive Science of Thinking
system 2 thinkingSerial Thought
IntuitiveThought
Serial, Conscious,Intentional, EffortfulControlled/Directed
Fast, Automatic, Effortless
system 1 thinking
mind wandering
Serial, Conscious,Unintentional, Effortless
Discursive
The Cognitive Science of Thinking
system 2 thinkingSerial Thought
IntuitiveThought
Serial, Conscious,Intentional, EffortfulControlled/Directed
Fast, Automatic, Effortless
system 1 thinking
mind wandering
Serial, Conscious,Unintentional, Effortless
Discursive
“The ForgottenThird Mode of Thinking”
The Cognitive Science of Thinking
The first is Unguided, without Designe, and inconstant; … thoughts are said to wander, and seem impertinent one to another, as in a Dream. (1651/1928, 20-21
By...Trayne of Thoughts, I understand that succession of one thought after another...This...is of two sorts.
The second is more constant; as being regulated by some desire, and designe.
serial thinking
DirectedThinking
DiscursiveThinking
Thomas Hobbes
discursive thinking (mind wandering)directed thinking (system 2 thinking)
Irving, Zachary C. 2015. “Mind-Wandering Is Unguided Attention: Accounting for the ‘purposeful’ Wanderer.” Philosophical Studies 173 (2): 547–71.
[W]hen ideas float in our mind without any reflection or regard of the understanding, it is that which the French call reverie…(1689, II, 19 §1)
discursive thinking (mind wandering)directed thinking (system 2 thinking)
[W]hilst we are awake, there will always be a train of ideas succeeding one another in our minds.
[W]hen the mind with great earnestness, and of choice, fixes its view on any idea, considers it on all sides, and will not be called off by the ordinary solicitation of other ideas, it is that we call … “study.”
serial thinking
DirectedThinking
DiscursiveThinking
John Locke
Four Fun Facts About Mind Wandering
Finding#1: We do a LOT of mind wandering!!
Baumeister, R. F., Hofmann, W., & Vohs, K. D. (2015). Everyday thoughts about the past, present, and future: An experience sampling study of mental time travel. Manuscript submitted for publication.Killingsworth MA, Gilbert DT. A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. Science 2010; 330: 932.Kane MJ, Brown LH, McVay JC, Silvia PJ, Myin-Germeys I, Kwapil TR. For Whom the Mind Wanders, and When An Experience-Sampling Study of Working Memory and Executive Control in Daily Life. Psychol Sci 2007; 18: 614–621.Klinger E, Cox WM. Dimensions of Thought Flow in Everyday Life. Imagin Cogn Personal 1987; 7: 105–128.
Experience Sampling Methodology
many studies say 30-50% of our waking lives is spent mind wandering
Finding#2: Mind wandering involves imagery and sensorily-rich content
Klinger E, Cox WM. Dimensions of Thought Flow in Everyday Life. Imagin Cogn Personal 1987; 7: 105–128.Delamillieure P, Doucet G, Mazoyer B, Turbelin M-R, Delcroix N, Mellet E et al. The resting state questionnaire: An introspective questionnaire for evaluation of inner experience during the conscious resting state. Brain Res Bull 2010; 81: 565–573.
It snowed in May in Michigan
Being at Dartmouth in May when it snowed
Being at Dartmouth sitting on a field with my friend Jana
Being at Pittsburgh this September with Jana and other friends
Autobiographical memory
Autobiographical memory
Prospective episode
Finding#3: Mind wandering involves streams of associations
Association – A spontaneous
transition between two concepts or ideas based on relevant connections (e.g., thematic or taxonomic).
salt pepper
bird robin
Task-positive regions
Default Regions
! "#$ "%#$ &' #$ %( #$
! "#$ "%#$ &' #$ %( #$
") *! %+, $%- *$$) +, $
") *! %+, $%- *$$) +, $
4/#5$ 4/#5$
! "#$ "%#$ &' #$ %( #$
! "#$ "%#$ &' #$ %( #$
") *! %+, $%- *$$) +, $
") *! %+, $%- *$$) +, $
4/#5$ 4/#5$
The default network is the substrate for mind wandering
The task positive network is the substrate for directed thinking
Finding#4: Mind wandering and directed thinking are associated with specific brain networks
Christoff K, Gordon AM, Smallwood J, Smith R, Schooler JW. Experience sampling during fMRI reveals default network and executive system contributions to mind wandering. Proc Natl Acad Sci 2009; 106: 8719–24.Fox KCR, Spreng RN, Ellamil M, Andrews-Hanna JR, Christoff K. The wandering brain: Meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies of mind-wandering and related spontaneous thought processes. NeuroImage 2015; 111: 611–621.
Bar, M., Aminoff, E., Mason, M., & Fenske, M. (2007). The units of thought. Hippocampus, 17(6), 420–428. http://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.20287
autobiographical memory
prospective imaginationdefault network
Buckner, R., & Carroll, D. (2007). Self-projection and the brain. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 11(2), 49–57.
A Puzzle: Why Do We Mind Wander?
system 2 thinking
The Executive Failure Model of Mind Wandering
Serial Thought
IntuitiveThought
Serial, Conscious,Intentional, Effortful
Controlled
Fast, Automatic, Effortless
system 1 thinking
Mcvay, J. C., & Kane, M. J. (2010). Does mind wandering reflect executive function or executive failure? Comment on Smallwood and Schooler (2006) and Watkins (2008). Psychological Bulletin, 136(2), 188–197.
system 2 thinking
The Executive Failure Model of Mind Wandering
Serial Thought
IntuitiveThought
Serial, Conscious,Intentional, Effortful
Controlled
Fast, Automatic, Effortless
system 1 thinking Impulsive behavior
Mcvay, J. C., & Kane, M. J. (2010). Does mind wandering reflect executive function or executive failure? Comment on Smallwood and Schooler (2006) and Watkins (2008). Psychological Bulletin, 136(2), 188–197.
system 2 thinking
The Executive Failure Model of Mind Wandering
Serial Thought
Serial, Conscious,Intentional, Effortful
Controlled
mind wandering
Serial, Conscious,Unintentional, Effortless
Discursive
Top-Down Regulation
Mcvay, J. C., & Kane, M. J. (2010). Does mind wandering reflect executive function or executive failure? Comment on Smallwood and Schooler (2006) and Watkins (2008). Psychological Bulletin, 136(2), 188–197.
system 2 thinking
The Executive Failure Model of Mind Wandering
Serial Thought
Serial, Conscious,Intentional, Effortful
Controlled
mind wandering
Serial, Conscious,Unintentional, Effortless
Discursive
Top-Down Regulation
Mcvay, J. C., & Kane, M. J. (2010). Does mind wandering reflect executive function or executive failure? Comment on Smallwood and Schooler (2006) and Watkins (2008). Psychological Bulletin, 136(2), 188–197.
Three More Fun Facts About Mind Wandering
Ind
ex o
f In
atte
nti
on
(var
iab
ility
in r
eac
tio
n t
ime
)
0 10 20 30
Time (minutes)
Sustained Attention Response Task (SART)
“Press a button if the letter shown is an X”
See Esterman, M., Noonan, S. K., Rosenberg, M., & DeGutis, J. (2013). Cerebral Cortex (New York, NY : 1991), 23(11), 2712–27233
Finding#5: Mind wandering and directed thinking oscillate in a quasi-periodic pattern
high inattention states
low inattention states
thought probe, yes mind wandering
thought probe, no mind wandering
Ind
ex o
f In
atte
nti
on
(var
iab
ility
in r
eac
tio
n t
ime
)
0 10 20 30
Time (minutes)
Sustained Attention Response Task (SART)
“Press a button if the letter shown is an X”
Finding#5: Mind wandering and directed thinking oscillate in quasi-periodic pattern
Christoff K, Gordon AM, Smallwood J, Smith R, Schooler JW. Experience sampling during fMRI reveals default network and executive system contributions to mind wandering. Proc Natl Acad Sci U A 2009; 106: 8719–24.Mittner, M., Boekel, W., Tucker, A. M., Turner, B. M., Heathcote, A., & Forstmann, B. U. (2014). When the brain takes a break: a model-based analysis of mind wandering. Journal of Neuroscience, 34(49), 16286–16295. http://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2062-14.2014
Usher, M., Cohen, J. D., Servan-Schreiber, D., Rajkowski, J., & Aston-Jones, G. (1999). Science, 283(5401), 549–554.
Ind
ex o
f In
atte
nti
on
(fal
se a
larm
rat
e)
Finding#6: The locus coeruleus, a midbrain structure, helps to regulate switching from mind wandering to directed thinking
20 40 60 80 100Time (minutes)
Usher, M., Cohen, J. D., Servan-Schreiber, D., Rajkowski, J., & Aston-Jones, G. (1999). Science, 283(5401), 549–554.
Ind
ex o
f In
atte
nti
on
(fal
se a
larm
rat
e)
Finding#6: The locus coeruleus, a midbrain structure, helps to regulate switching from mind wandering to directed thinking
20 40 60 80 100Time (minutes)
Firi
ng
of
Locu
s C
oe
rule
us
Ne
uro
ns
Usher, M., Cohen, J. D., Servan-Schreiber, D., Rajkowski, J., & Aston-Jones, G. (1999). Science, 283(5401), 549–554.
Ind
ex o
f In
atte
nti
on
(fal
se a
larm
rat
e)
Finding#6: The locus coeruleus, a midbrain structure, helps to regulate switching from mind wandering to directed thinking
20 40 60 80 100Time (minutes)
Present a Problem
Requiring Creative Thinking
Manipulate/Measure Mind Wandering
Test Problem Solving Success
Singer and Schonbar, 1961; Singer, 1964; Singer, 1966, 1974, 1975, 1993, 2009; Wang et al., 2009; Baars, 2010; Baird et al., 2011, 2012; Kaufman and Singer, 2011; Stawarczyk et al., 2011; Kaufman, 2013
Immordino-Yang et al. 2012 (parsing social events)Takeuch et al 2011 (divergent thinking challenge)Wang et al 2009 (spatial navigation task)
Pure Correlational
Studies
Studies with fMRI
Easy versus Hard Cognitive Task
Behavioral studies Baird et al (2012)
Default NetworkActivity/Connectivity
Finding#7: Mind wandering enhances “pattern discovery” and creativity
Individuals who mind wander more are more creative
Studies with manipulations
Manipulations that promote mind wandering promote creativity
Back to the Puzzle: Why Do We Mind Wander?
An alternative hypothesis for why we mind wander…
The exploration hypothesis
nibble nibble explore nibble explore nibble explore explore nibble nibble explore explore nibble explore explore explore
nibble nibble explore nibble explore nibble explore explore nibble nibble explore explore nibble explore explore explore
nibble nibble explore nibble explore nibble explore explore nibble nibble explore explore nibble explore explore explore
focus focus explore focus explore focus explore explore focus focus explore explore focus explore explore explore
Conjecture: Mind wandering is a form of mnemonic exploration and this explains why it promotes pattern discovery and creativity.
Mind wandering involves associative streams of imagistic thought
The default network generates spontaneous associations between thoughts
Remember…
There is growing evidence that:
-association and pattern discovery are intimately connected
-the default network is the basis of both
Pattern discovery is something like the inverse of association
-skate/cream-throat/loser
Remote Association Test: What notion links these two words?
association = given idea X and a known associative connection between X and Y, retrieve Y
pattern discovery = given ideas X and Y, find an associative connection that might potentially link them
Ilg, Ruediger, Kai Vogeley, Thomas Goschke, Annette Bolte, Jon N. Shah, Ernst Pöppel, and Gereon R. Fink. 2007. “Neural Processes Underlying Intuitive Coherence Judgments as Revealed by fMRI on a Semantic Judgment Task.” NeuroImage 38 (1): 228–38.
Example of pattern discovery
Experience itself is always temporally ordered
When memories of experience are replayed in mind wandering, the constraint of temporal ordering is removed.
Etime 1 Etime 2 Etime 3 Etime 4 Etime n Etime n+1 Etime n+2 Etime n+3
Patient X (an adolescent male) abruptly discontinued treatment
Autobiographical memory of Etime n+2
Autobiographical memory of Etime 2
Patient Y (an adolescent male) abruptly discontinued treatment
Why Producing Associative Streams Is Good for Pattern Discovery
Producing associative streams help you see relevant ideas “side-by-side” so you can uncover additional hidden associative connections between them!
Where two ideas are already linked by one associative connection, there are likely to be others awaiting discovery.
Why do we do so much mind wandering?
Why is there a quasi-periodic ongoing desire to mind wander?
Because mind wandering is an exploratory activity that facilitates pattern discovery.
Summing Up…
1. Mind wandering is the forgotten third mode of thinking.
3. There is an ongoing debate between supporters of the executive failure versus exploratoryview of mind wandering.
2. It occupies an enormous portion of our lives.
Future Directions: “Positive Mind Wandering”?
ADHD
Depression
Kessler, Daniel, Michael Angstadt, and Chandra Sripada. 2016. “Brain Network Growth Charting and the Identification of Attention Impairment in Youth.” JAMA Psychiatry.
We created “growth charts” for default network and task-positive networks--the networks that underlie mind wandering
Children whose networks are “immature for age” display excess mind wandering during attention tasks
“Negative Mind Wandering” is Thriving!
Hamilton, J. P., Farmer, M., Fogelman, P., & Gotlib, I. H. (2015). Depressive Rumination, the Default-Mode Network, and the Dark Matter of Clinical Neuroscience. Biological Psychiatry, 78(4), 224–230
Problems in Timing of Mind Wandering
Problems in Content of Mind Wandering
The challenge: Build on “negative mind wandering” research to in order to improve the timing and content of mind wandering.
The goal should be to measure and cultivate mind wandering that supports:
InsightImaginationCreativityOpenness to IdeasOptimismResilience
“Positive Mind Wandering” needs to be developed!
The End
Your expected value: 10
Slot Machine 1 Slot Machine 2
Your expected value: 5
If you are exclusively rational, then you will always play slot machine 1 and never learn potential payoffs of slot machine 2
True expected value: 10 True expected value: 1000000000
Fundamental rule of rationality: Do that action that maximizes expected value.
Lesson: Rational agents need to balance exploitation and exploration!!