Mind wandering in schizophrenia: A thought-sampling study

Tao Chen; Xiao-Jing Qin; Ji-Fang Cui; Ying Li; Lu-Lu Liu; Pengchong Wang; Shu-Li Tao; David H K Shum; Ya Wang; Raymond C K Chan

doi:10.1016/j.concog.2019.102774

Mind wandering in schizophrenia: A thought-sampling study

Conscious Cogn. 2019 Sep:74:102774. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2019.102774. Epub 2019 Jul 2.

Authors

Tao Chen¹, Xiao-Jing Qin¹, Ji-Fang Cui², Ying Li³, Lu-Lu Liu⁴, Pengchong Wang⁵, Shu-Li Tao⁶, David H K Shum⁷, Ya Wang⁸, Raymond C K Chan¹

Affiliations

¹ Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
² Research Center for Information and Statistics, National Institute of Education Sciences, Beijing, China.
³ Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Haidian Psychiatry Prevention and Treatment Hospital, Beijing, China.
⁴ Menzies Health Institute Queensland and School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia.
⁵ National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
⁶ Community Health Service Center of College Road, Haidian District, Beijing, China.
⁷ Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China; Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia.
⁸ Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Center, University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: wangya@psych.ac.cn.

PMID: 31276909
DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2019.102774

Abstract

Mind wandering has consistently been associated with impairments in cognition, emotion and daily performance. However, few experimental studies on mind wandering have been conducted in individuals with schizophrenia. The present study aimed to examine mind wandering in schizophrenia patients with a thought-sampling experiment embedded in a rapid go/no-go task and the relationship between the frequency of mind wandering and psychotic symptoms. Fifty-eight schizophrenia patients and 56 matched healthy controls were recruited and engaged in a task that assessed mind wandering. The results showed that schizophrenia patients (1.4%) reported less frequent mind wandering than healthy controls (5.8%). Moreover, there was no significant correlation between the frequency of mind wandering and psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia patients. Further studies in different stages of schizophrenia and in patients with more severe psychotic symptoms are needed to demonstrate a more comprehensive picture of mind wandering in schizophrenia.

Keywords: Mind wandering; Schizophrenia; Thought-sampling.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Attention / physiology*
Executive Function / physiology*
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Schizophrenia / physiopathology*
Thinking / physiology*