TY - JOUR
T1 - Metacognitive beliefs mediate the relationship between mind wandering and negative affect
AU - Carciofo, Richard
AU - Song, Nan
AU - Du, Feng
AU - Wang, Michelle M.
AU - Zhang, Kan
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grants 31470982 and 31200766 ), the Chinese Academy of Sciences (grant KJZD-EW-L04-4 ), and the Scientific Foundation of the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (grant Y4CX033008 ). These sources had no role in study design, data collection, analysis and interpretation, manuscript preparation, or decision to publish.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2017/3/1
Y1 - 2017/3/1
N2 - Two studies (Ns = 254 and 130, aged 18–28) aimed to investigate associations between mind wandering and metacognitive beliefs, and whether these beliefs are involved in the relationship between mind wandering and negative affect. Participants completed questionnaire measures of metacognitive beliefs, mind wandering, daydreaming, negative affect, mindfulness, and sleep quality. Study 2 also included the Sustained Attention to Response Task, with thought-probe assessment of task-unrelated thought (mind wandering/daydreaming). The frequency of mind wandering/daydreaming/task-unrelated thought was found to positively correlate with the metacognitive dimensions of less cognitive confidence, more endorsement of belief in the uncontrollability/danger of thoughts, and more endorsement of belief in the need to control thoughts. Multiple-mediator analysis was undertaken with three main models where either mind wandering, daydreaming frequency, or task-unrelated thought was the predictor for negative affect. Metacognitive beliefs, mindfulness and sleep quality were simultaneously entered as potential mediators. Results showed that metacognitive belief in the uncontrollability/danger of thoughts was a consistently significant mediator, while mindfulness and sleep quality were less consistent. Overall, the current research indicates that metacognitive beliefs are an important consideration in the study of mind wandering/daydreaming, and a possibly key factor in understanding the association with negative affect.
AB - Two studies (Ns = 254 and 130, aged 18–28) aimed to investigate associations between mind wandering and metacognitive beliefs, and whether these beliefs are involved in the relationship between mind wandering and negative affect. Participants completed questionnaire measures of metacognitive beliefs, mind wandering, daydreaming, negative affect, mindfulness, and sleep quality. Study 2 also included the Sustained Attention to Response Task, with thought-probe assessment of task-unrelated thought (mind wandering/daydreaming). The frequency of mind wandering/daydreaming/task-unrelated thought was found to positively correlate with the metacognitive dimensions of less cognitive confidence, more endorsement of belief in the uncontrollability/danger of thoughts, and more endorsement of belief in the need to control thoughts. Multiple-mediator analysis was undertaken with three main models where either mind wandering, daydreaming frequency, or task-unrelated thought was the predictor for negative affect. Metacognitive beliefs, mindfulness and sleep quality were simultaneously entered as potential mediators. Results showed that metacognitive belief in the uncontrollability/danger of thoughts was a consistently significant mediator, while mindfulness and sleep quality were less consistent. Overall, the current research indicates that metacognitive beliefs are an important consideration in the study of mind wandering/daydreaming, and a possibly key factor in understanding the association with negative affect.
KW - Daydreaming
KW - Mediation
KW - Metacognitive beliefs
KW - Mind wandering
KW - Mindfulness
KW - Negative affect
KW - Sleep quality
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84995877344&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.paid.2016.11.033
DO - 10.1016/j.paid.2016.11.033
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84995877344
SN - 0191-8869
VL - 107
SP - 78
EP - 87
JO - Personality and Individual Differences
JF - Personality and Individual Differences
ER -