Experimental studies on the generation of and meta-cognition on involuntary thoughts and involuntary memories.

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24530911
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Experimental psychology
• Research Institution: Tokyo Gakugei University
• Principal Investigator: Sekiguchi Takahiro 東京学芸大学, 教育学部, 准教授 (90334458)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): Amemiya Yuri 東京女学館大学, 国際教養学部, 専任講師 (00625501)
• Research Collaborator: Otsuka Sho 筑波大学, 大学院人間総合科学研究科, 博士後期課程学生
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: マインドワンダリング / 課題無関連思考 / 不随意記憶 / メタ認知 / モニタリング / ワーキングメモリ / 実行機能 / 不注意

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study examined the nature and underlying mechanism of involuntary thoughts (task unrelated thoughts) and involuntary memories (involuntary remembering of autobiographical memories). The findings are as follows. 1) Both inhibition mechanism for proactive interference and working memory are important to prevent involuntary thoughts. 2) Phonological short-term memory is involved in the maintenance of involuntary thoughts. 3) Awareness of involuntary thoughts is caused by passive monitoring resulted from the input of external stimuli. 4) During lecture, the rate of involuntary thought occurrence varies with time in the form of rise-fall-rise. 5) In involuntary remembering of autobiographical memories, the first accessed information in the network of autobiographical knowledge is retrieved directly.

Free Research Field

認知心理学