Attention allocation involves selectively focusing cognitive resources on important information. Lapses in attention, such as mind-wandering, can impair learning and memory.
Individuals with ADHD often struggle with attentional control and consistency, experiencing more frequent lapses.
Miller, A. L., & Castel, A. D. (2024). Mind-wandering when studying valuable information: The roles of age, dispositional traits, and contextual factors. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001674
Key Points
- The study examined how the importance (value) of to-be-remembered information impacts attentional lapses during learning in younger and older adults.
- Both age groups modulated their attentional focus based on information value, with high-value items receiving the most consistent attention.
- Older adults displayed enhanced attentional consistency compared to younger adults, explained by heightened motivation and decreased negative affect in older adults.
- When controlling for motivation, affect, personality, and ADHD symptoms, older adults exhibited more attentional inconsistency than younger adults, aligning with attention control theories of cognitive aging.
Rationale
Prior research suggests that the importance of information guides learners’ attentional allocation (Ariel & Castel, 2014; Castel et al., 2013).
However, it remains unclear whether value moderates attentional lapses during learning, especially in older adults who paradoxically report fewer lapses than younger adults despite age-related declines in attention control (McVay et al., 2013; Hasher & Zacks, 1988).
This study aimed to clarify the roles of value, age, and dispositional factors in attentional consistency during learning.
Method
Younger and older adults completed a value-based learning task with thought probes to assess attentional state.
Participants also completed measures of motivation, affect, personality, and ADHD symptoms.
Procedure
In each trial, participants studied lists of 30 words paired with point values (1-10), indicating the word’s importance.
Thought probes intermittently assessed participants’ attentional state. After a distractor task, participants freely recalled the words.
Sample
- Experiment 1: 124 younger adults (Mage=25.15), 121 older adults (Mage=69.11).
- Experiment 2: 108 younger adults (Mage=20.31), 108 older adults (Mage=67.44).
Measures
- Recall accuracy: The proportion of words correctly remembered from the studied lists.
- Attentional state: Whether attention was focused on the task (on-task), evaluating task performance (task-related interference), or something unrelated to the task (task-unrelated thought).
- Task motivation: Self-reported drive to perform well on the memory task.
- State anxiety (STAI): Current feelings of apprehension, tension, and worry.
- Positive and negative affect (PANAS): The extent to which people feel positive emotions (e.g. enthusiasm) and negative emotions (e.g. distress) in the moment.
- Big Five personality traits (BFI-2): Extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience.
- ADHD symptoms (ASRS-v1.1): Frequency of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in adults.
Statistical Measures
Repeated measures ANOVAs, logistic multilevel modeling, path analysis
Results
- Value moderated attentional consistency, with high-value words receiving the most on-task focus. This effect did not vary by age.
- Older adults reported more on-task focus and fewer task-unrelated thoughts than younger adults.
- Motivation and negative affect mediated the relationship between age and attentional consistency.
Insight
This study provides novel insights into how learners strategically allocate attention based on information importance.
Older adults’ enhanced attentional focus was driven by heightened motivation and reduced negative affect compared to younger adults.
However, suppressor effects revealed that after accounting for these factors, older age was associated with greater attentional inconsistency, consistent with attention control theories of cognitive aging.
Future research should investigate the dynamic interplay between motivation, affect, and attentional control across the lifespan.
Implications
The findings suggest that emphasizing the importance and relevance of learning material may help learners of all ages maintain consistent attentional focus.
Educators could connect course content to students’ interests, values, and real-world applications to enhance engagement.
Additionally, interventions targeting motivation and emotion regulation may support attentional control in older adults.
Future studies should examine the effectiveness of such strategies in naturalistic learning contexts.
Strengths
This study had several methodological strengths, including:
- Novel investigation of value effects on attentional consistency during learning
- Comprehensive examination of age differences and potential mediators
- Inclusion of both younger and older adult samples
- Use of thought probes to assess attentional state during learning
- Consideration of dispositional and contextual factors
Limitations
This study also had several methodological limitations, including:
- Online older adult sample may not represent the broader aging population
- Cross-sectional design limits causal inferences about age effects
- Potential for thought probes to disrupt learning processes
- Low rates of task-unrelated thoughts, potentially due to value manipulation
References
Primary reference
Miller, A. L., & Castel, A. D. (2024). Mind-wandering when studying valuable information: The roles of age, dispositional traits, and contextual factors. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001674
Other references
Ariel, R., & Castel, A. D. (2014). Eyes wide open: Enhanced pupil dilation when selectively studying important information. Experimental Brain Research, 232(1), 337-344. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-013-3744-5
Castel, A. D., Murayama, K., Friedman, M. C., McGillivray, S., & Link, I. (2013). Selecting valuable information to remember: Age-related differences and similarities in self-regulated learning. Psychology and Aging, 28(1), 232-242. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030678
Hasher, L., & Zacks, R. T. (1988). Working memory, comprehension, and aging: A review and a new view. In G. Bower (Ed.), Psychology of learning and motivation (Vol. 22, pp. 193-225). Academic Press.
McVay, J. C., Meier, M. E., Touron, D. R., & Kane, M. J. (2013). Aging ebbs the flow of thought: Adult age differences in mind wandering, executive control, and self-evaluation. Acta Psychologica, 142(1), 136-147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2012.11.006
Keep Learning
- How might the study’s findings inform the design of educational materials and instructional strategies to support attentional focus across the lifespan?
- What are some potential interventions that could target motivation and emotion regulation to enhance attentional control in older adults?
- How do you think the relationship between value, attentional consistency, and memory might differ in more naturalistic learning contexts compared to laboratory settings?
- What are some key questions that future research should address to further our understanding of attentional lapses during learning and their implications for cognitive aging?
