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This study was supported by grant PID2021-125408NB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and by "ERDF A way of making Europe" and predoctoral grants: FPU17/00427, FPU18/00288, and FPU19/06017.

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Sandoval-Lentisco, AlejandroAuthor

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January 15, 2025
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Vigilance decrement and mind-wandering in sustained attention tasks: Two sides of the same coin?

Publicated to:Frontiers in Neuroscience. 17 1122406- - 2023-03-28 17(), DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1122406

Authors: Martinez-Perez, Victor; Andreu, Almudena; Sandoval-Lentisco, Alejandro; Tortajada, Miriam; Palmero, Lucia B; Castillo, Alejandro; Campoy, Guillermo; Fuentes, Luis J J

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Univ Murcia, Fac Psicol, Murcia, Spain - Author

Abstract

BackgroundDecrements in performance and the propensity for increased mind-wandering (i.e., task-unrelated thoughts) across time-on-task are two pervasive phenomena observed when people perform vigilance tasks. In the present study, we asked whether processes that lead to vigilance decrement and processes that foster the propensity for mind-wandering (MW) can be dissociated or whether they share a common mechanism. In one experiment, we introduced two critical manipulations: increasing task demands and applying anodal high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. MethodSeventy-eight participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups resulting from the factorial combination of task demand (low, high) and stimulation (anodal, sham). Participants completed the sustained attention to response task (SART), which included thought probes on intentional and unintentional MW. In addition, we investigated the crucial role of alpha oscillations in a novel approach. By assessing pre-post resting EEG, we explored whether participants' variability in baseline alpha power predicted performance in MW and vigilance decrement related to tDCS or task demands, respectively, and whether such variability was a stable characteristic of participants. ResultsOur results showed a double dissociation, such that task demands exclusively affected vigilance decrement, while anodal tDCS exclusively affected the rate of MW. Furthermore, the slope of the vigilance decrement function and MW rate (overall, intentional and unintentional) did not correlate. Critically, resting state alpha-band activity predicted tDCS-related gains in unintentional MW alone, but not in vigilance decrement, and remained stable after participants completed the task. ConclusionThese results show that when a sustained attention task involving executive vigilance, such as the SART, is designed to elicit both vigilance decrement effects and MW, the processes leading to vigilance decrement should be differentiated from those responsible for MW, a claim that is supported by the double dissociation observed here and the lack of correlation between the measures chosen to assess both phenomena. Furthermore, the results provide the first evidence of how individual differences in alpha power at baseline may be of crucial importance in predicting the effects of tDCS on MW propensity.

Keywords

AlphaAlpha-band powerBrainEegFailuresHd-tdcHd-tdcsIndividual-differencesLoaMind-wanderingOscillationsPerformancePropensitySustained attention to response task (sart)Vigilance decrementWorking-memory capacity

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2023, it was in position 129/310, thus managing to position itself as a Q2 (Segundo Cuartil), in the category Neurosciences. Notably, the journal is positioned en el Cuartil Q2 para la agencia Scopus (SJR) en la categoría Neuroscience (Miscellaneous).

From a relative perspective, and based on the normalized impact indicator calculated from the Field Citation Ratio (FCR) of the Dimensions source, it yields a value of: 6.46, which indicates that, compared to works in the same discipline and in the same year of publication, it ranks as a work cited above average. (source consulted: Dimensions Aug 2025)

Specifically, and according to different indexing agencies, this work has accumulated citations as of 2025-08-02, the following number of citations:

  • WoS: 5
  • Scopus: 6
  • Europe PMC: 1

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-08-02:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 18.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 18 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 3.95.
  • The number of mentions on the social network X (formerly Twitter): 6 (Altmetric).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.