Dissociating and linking divergent effects of emotion on cognition: insights from current research and emerging directions.

This century has witnessed unprecedented increasing interest in the investigation of emotion-cognition interactions and the associated neural mechanisms. The present review emphasizes the need to consider the various factors that can influence enhancing and impairing effects of emotion on cognition, in studies of both healthy and clinical groups. First, we discuss advances in understanding the circumstances in which emotion enhances or impairs cognition at different levels, both (e.

Examining cognition in action: laboratory-based attentional control tasks predict performance on combat-relevant tasks in an augmented reality training environment.

Introduction: There is growing interest in understanding how individual differences in cognitive abilities contribute to military performance. Laboratory-based cognitive tasks, which are well-suited for assessing specific cognitive capacities, offer a controlled and efficient approach for evaluating these differences. If performance on such tasks corresponds with operationally relevant performance, these measures could serve as valuable tools for evaluation, selection, and targeted training interventions to enhance military readiness.

Mind wandering is associated with worsening attentional vigilance.

The tendency for our minds to wander is a pervasive and disruptive influence on continued task performance. Models of sustained attention have implicated mind wandering, moments when attention has turned inwards toward task-unrelated thought, in characteristic patterns of worsening performance with greater time-on-task, known as the vigilance decrement. Despite their theoretical connection, associations between mind wandering and the vigilance decrement have not been investigated systematically.

Examining factors associated with self-reported cognitive functioning in elite military settings: considerations of combat experiences and post-traumatic stress symptomology.

Exposure to traumatic events is associated with post-traumatic stress symptomology (PTSS) in a variety of populations. PTSS is also associated with self-reported everyday cognitive failures, which are acknowledged attentional lapses experienced in one's naturalistic everyday environment. While a growing literature suggests that PTSS is associated with both traumatic events and attentional functions, little is known regarding similar associations in elite military cohorts, such as Special Operations Forces (SOF) personnel.

Measuring mind wandering with experience sampling during task performance: An item response theory investigation.

The tendency for individuals to mind wander is often measured using experience sampling methods in which probe questions embedded within computerized cognitive tasks attempt to catch episodes of off-task thought at random intervals during task performance. However, mind-wandering probe questions and response options are often chosen ad hoc and vary between studies with extant little guidance as to the psychometric consequences of these methodological decisions. In the present study, we examined the psychometric properties of several common approaches for assessing mind wandering using methods from item response theory (IRT).

Mind-wandering increases in frequency over time during task performance: An individual-participant meta-analytic review.

Attention has a seemingly inevitable tendency to turn inward toward our thoughts. Mind-wandering refers to moments when this inward focus diverts attention away from the current task-at-hand. Mind-wandering is thought to be ubiquitous, having been estimated to occur between 30% and 50% of our waking moments.

Investigating the protective effects of mindfulness-based attention training on mind wandering in applied settings.

Introduction: Mind wandering, a phenomenon in which attention drifts away from the task-at-hand, is associated with deleterious effects on performance and well-being. As such, efforts to curb mind wandering are warranted. Recently, mindfulness training (MT) has been found to protect against mind wandering.

Online mindfulness training for older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: a randomized controlled trial using a multi-method assessment approach.

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic drastically accelerated the need for studies examining the effectiveness of programs to bolster psychological well-being, particularly for at-risk groups, such as older adults (OAs). Mindfulness Training (MT) has been suggested as a well-suited program for this purpose. The present study examined the impact of a 4-week online, trainer-led MT course tailored for OAs during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Higher self-reported posttraumatic stress symptoms are associated with poorer working memory in active-duty service members.

Objective: Posttraumatic stress is a significant issue facing military service members and can negatively impact working memory (WM), which is critical for performance success. Yet, few studies have examined the link between self-reported posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and WM performance in active-duty military cohorts. The present study utilized hierarchical linear modeling to examine this relationship by considering PTSS and underlying symptom clusters as well as WM demands related to load and affective interference in an active-duty military cohort ( = 515).

Associations between self-reported spontaneous thought and temporal sequences of EEG microstates.

Thought dynamically evolves from one moment to the next even in the absence of external stimulation. The extent to which patterns of spontaneous thought covary with time-varying fluctuations in intrinsic brain activity is of great interest but remains unknown. We conducted novel analyses of data originally reported by Portnova et al.

Self-reported Mind Wandering and Response Time Variability Differentiate Prestimulus Electroencephalogram Microstate Dynamics during a Sustained Attention Task.

Brain activity continuously and spontaneously fluctuates during tasks of sustained attention. This spontaneous activity reflects the intrinsic dynamics of neurocognitive networks, which have been suggested to differentiate moments of externally directed task focus from episodes of mind wandering. However, the contribution of specific electrophysiological brain states and their millisecond dynamics to the experience of mind wandering is still unclear.

Experience sampling of the degree of mind wandering distinguishes hidden attentional states.

Experience sampling of attentional states has consistently demonstrated that mind wandering is a frequent and disruptive obstacle when one must sustain attention during continuous task performance. Yet, methods commonly used to assess the subjective experience of mind wandering may conflate several potential sources of meaningful variation in individuals' degree of task engagement. In the present study, we examined evidence for distinct and identifiable patterns in subjective reports of the degree of task-related attentional focus during a sustained attention task in a large sample of adults (N = 537).

Memory load, distracter interference, and dynamic adjustments in cognitive control influence working memory performance across the lifespan.

Capacity-limited working memory (WM) systems have been known to degrade in older age. In line with inhibition-deficit theories of aging, WM deficits in older individuals have been attributed to failures in the ability to suppress the processing of task irrelevant, distracting information. Yet, other cognitive mechanisms underlying age-related WM deficits have been observed, including failures in WM with increasing memory load.

Is resilience trainable? An initial study comparing mindfulness and relaxation training in firefighters.

Motivated by the growing interest in promoting resilience in first responders and other professionals who face threatening professional circumstances, the current study investigated the effectiveness of offering a short-form mindfulness training (MT) program to firefighters. The overarching question was to determine if psychological and cognitive markers of resilience are bolstered via MT. Firefighters (n = 121) were assigned to an MT program (n = 42), an active-comparison relaxation training program (RT, n = 31), or served as no-training controls (NTC, n = 48).

Dynamic brain network configurations during rest and an attention task with frequent occurrence of mind wandering.

Mind wandering (MW) has become a prominent topic of neuroscientific investigation due to the importance of understanding attentional processes in our day-to-day experiences. Emerging evidence suggests a critical role for three large-scale brain networks in MW: the default network (DN), the central executive network (CEN), and the salience network (SN). Advances in analytical methods for neuroimaging data (i.

Does mindfulness training help working memory 'work' better?

There has been a proliferation of mindfulness training (MT) programs offered across a multitude of settings, including military, business, sports, education, and medicine. As such, ascertaining training effectiveness and determining best practices for program delivery are of the utmost importance. MT is often introduced to promote an array of desired effects from better mood, better leadership and management skills, to improved workplace or academic performance.

Mindfulness training as cognitive training in high-demand cohorts: An initial study in elite military servicemembers.

Cognitive ability is a key selection criterion for entry into many elite professions. Herein, we investigate whether mindfulness training (MT) can enhance cognitive performance in elite military forces. The cognitive effects of a short-form 8-h MT program contextualized for military cohorts, referred to as Mindfulness-Based Attention Training (MBAT), were assessed.

Attenuated Face Processing during Mind Wandering.

Mind wandering (MW) has been recently investigated in many studies. It has been suggested that, during MW, processing of perceptual stimuli is attenuated in favor of internal thoughts, a phenomenon referred to as perceptual decoupling. Perceptual decoupling has been investigated in ERP studies, which have used relatively simple perceptual stimuli, yet it remains unclear if MW can impact the perceptual processing of complex stimuli with real-world relevance.

[Dissociating between Enhancing and Impairing Effects of Emotion on Cognition].

Objectives Emerging evidence suggests that emotion can have both enhancing and impairing effects on various cognitive processes. These opposing effects can be identified at different levels, both within the same cognitive process and across different processes, as well as at more general levels, such as in the case of the response to stress. The aim of the present review is to discuss recent advances in the mechanisms underlying the enhancing and impairing effects of emotion on different aspects within the same process (e.

Functional cerebral changes in multiple sclerosis patients during an autobiographical memory test.

Our aim was to investigate the functional underpinnings of autobiographical memory (AM) impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. To that end, 18 patients and 18 controls underwent the autobiographical interview (AI). Subsequently, the 36 participants underwent a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) session designed to assess the construction and elaboration of AMs.

Neural correlates of 'distracting' from emotion during autobiographical recollection.

Remembering emotional autobiographical memories (AMs) is important for emotional well-being, and investigation of the role of emotion regulation (ER) during AM recollection has relevance for understanding mental health issues. Although significant progress has been made in understanding the brain mechanisms underlying ER and AM, less is known about the role of ER during AM recollection. The present study investigated how focusing away (or 'distracting') from the emotional content during AM recollection influences the subjective re-experiencing of emotions and the associated neural correlates, by manipulating the retrieval focus of participants who remembered emotional AMs while fMRI data were recorded.

The Effect of Retrieval Focus and Emotional Valence on the Inferior Frontal Cortex Activity during Autobiographical Recollection.

Although available evidence points to a role of the inferior frontal cortex (IFC) in both emotion processing and autobiographical memory (AM) recollection, it is unclear what the role of this region is in emotional AM recollection. The present study investigated whether IFC activity can be influenced by manipulations of the retrieval focus (emotional vs. non-emotional) and whether this influence is similar for AMs with positive and negative emotional valence.