Individual differences in task-unrelated thought in university classrooms.
This study investigated what academic traits, attitudes, and habits predict individual differences in task-unrelated thought (TUT) during lectures, and whether this TUT propensity mediates associations between academic individual differences and course outcomes (final grade and situational interest...
| Published in: | Memory & Cognition Vol. 49; no. 6; pp. 1247 - 1267 |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
Springer Nature
Aug2021
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=151585032&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 151585032 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 0090502X MEG jtl: Memory & Cognition issn: 0090502X maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Aug2021 vid: 49 iid: 6 pid: 237 pub: Springer Nature artinfo: ui: 151585032 10.3758/s13421-021-01156-3 ppf: 1247 ppct: 20 formats: fmt: @attributes: type: P size: 1.3MB tig: atl: Individual differences in task-unrelated thought in university classrooms. aug: au: Kane, Michael J. Carruth, Nicholas P. Lurquin, John H. Silvia, Paul J. Smeekens, Bridget A. von Bastian, Claudia C. Miyake, Akira affil: Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, P.O. Box 26170, 27402-6170, Greensboro, NC, USA Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 345 UCB, 80309-0345, Boulder, CO, USA Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, S10 2TN, Sheffield, UK su: Personality Task performance Undergraduates Student attitudes Human multitasking Descriptive statistics sug: subj: Personality Task performance Undergraduates Student attitudes Human multitasking Descriptive statistics keyword: Education Interest Learning Mind-wandering Multitasking Education Interest Learning Mind-wandering Multitasking ab: This study investigated what academic traits, attitudes, and habits predict individual differences in task-unrelated thought (TUT) during lectures, and whether this TUT propensity mediates associations between academic individual differences and course outcomes (final grade and situational interest evoked by material). Undergraduates (N = 851) from ten psychology classes at two US universities responded to thought probes presented during two early-course lectures; they also indicated sitting in the front, middle, or back of the classroom. At each probe, students categorized their thought content, such as indicating on-task thought or TUT. Students also completed online, academic-self-report questionnaires at the beginning of the course and a situational interest questionnaire at the end. Average TUT rate was 24% but individuals' rates varied widely (SD = 18%). TUT rates also increased substantially from the front to back of the classroom, and modestly from the first to second half of class periods. Multiple-group analyses (with ten classroom groups) indicated that: (a) classroom media-multitasking habits, initial interest in the course topic, and everyday propensity for mind-wandering and boredom accounted for unique variance in TUT rate (beyond other predictors); (b) TUT rate accounted for unique (modest) variance in course grades and situational interest; and (c) classroom media multitasking and propensity for mind-wandering and boredom had indirect associations with course grades via TUT rate, and these predictor variables, along with initial interest, had indirect associations with end-of-term situational interest via TUT rate. Some academic traits and behaviors predict course outcomes in part because they predict off-task thought during class. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
|---|