Jan Rummel

Bio: Jan Rummel is an academic researcher from Heidelberg University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Prospective memory & Task (project management). The author has an hindex of 17, co-authored 53 publications receiving 837 citations. Previous affiliations of Jan Rummel include University of Mannheim & University of Marburg.

Controlling the stream of thought: working memory capacity predicts adjustment of mind-wandering to situational demands.

Abstract: Although engaging in task-unrelated thoughts can be enjoyable and functional under certain circumstances, allowing one's mind to wander off-task will come at a cost to performance in many situations. Given that task-unrelated thoughts need to be blocked out when the current task requires full attention, it has been argued that cognitive control is necessary to prevent mind-wandering from becoming maladaptive. Extending this idea, we exposed participants to tasks of different demands and assessed mind-wandering via thought probes. Employing a latent-change model, we found mind-wandering to be adjusted to current task demands. As hypothesized, the degree of adjustment was predicted by working memory capacity, indicating that participants with higher working memory capacity were more flexible in their coordination of on- and off-task thoughts. Notably, the better the adjustment, the smaller performance decrements due to increased task demands were. On the basis of these findings, we argue that cognitive control does not simply allow blocking out task-unrelated thoughts but, rather, allows one to flexibly adjust mind-wandering to situational demands.

Behavioral and emotional consequences of brief delays in human-computer interaction

Abstract: It was thought that computer-performance-related problems in human-computer interaction (HCI) would become negligible with the constant increase in computing power. However, despite major advances in computer technology, contemporary HCI is still characterized by brief delays in computer responsiveness caused, for example, by background processes or network delays. Research on long system-response times (SRTs) indicates that delays may have negative behavioral and emotional consequences. However, there are fundamental differences between previously researched long SRTs and delays as they occur in contemporary HCI, such as different timings and occurrence probabilities. Therefore the previous research is not necessarily applicable to modern HCIs. We developed a paradigm aimed at mimicking important aspects of contemporary HCI to empirically test the effects of sporadic brief delays with an average duration of 1.6s. Results showed performance decrements in the response directly following a delay in terms of increased reaction times and error rates. Furthermore, blocks in which delays occurred were less liked than blocks without delays, suggesting that delays may affect the emotional state. The data provide evidence that delays cause a significant deterioration of performance, and indicates that delays in contemporary HCI may negatively affect work productivity, work satisfaction, and health-and-safety. Suggestions for HCI design and the relationship to user interruption are discussed.

A diffusion model analysis of task interference effects in prospective memory

Abstract: Holding an intention often interferes with other ongoing activities, indicating that resource-demanding processes are involved in maintaining the intention and noticing the appropriate event to fulfill it. Little is known, however, about the nature of the processes underlying this task interference effect. The goal of the present research was to decompose the processes contributing to the task interference effect by applying the diffusion model (Ratcliff, Psychological Review 85:59–108, 1978) to an event-based prospective memory task. In the first experiment, we validated the interpretation of the response criterion parameter (a) of the diffusion model as reflecting strategies to cope with the anticipated demands of a prospective memory task in the context of the ongoing task. The second experiment served to investigate which underlying processes contribute to the task interference often found with prospective memory tasks. Diffusion model analyses revealed that the task interference effect was due to (1) less efficient processing in the more demanding than in the less demanding prospective memory task and (2) a more conservative response criterion. We suggest that the anticipated demands and the additional processing demands of the prospective memory task jointly contribute to the task interference effect.

Inter-trial alpha power indicates mind wandering.

Abstract: Mind wandering during ongoing tasks can impede task performance and increase the risk of failure in the laboratory as well as in daily-life tasks and work environments. Neurocognitive measures like the electroencephalography (EEG) offer the opportunity to assess mind wandering non-invasively without interfering with the primary task. However, the literature on electrophysiological correlates of mind wandering is rather inconsistent. The present study aims toward clarifying this picture by breaking down the temporal dynamics of mind wandering encounters using a cluster-based permutation approach. Participants performed a switching task during which mind wandering was occasionally assessed via thought probes applied after trial completion at random time points. In line with previous studies, response accuracy was reduced during mind wandering. Moreover, alpha power during the inter-trial interval was a significantly increased on those trials on which participants reported that they had been mind-wandering. This spatially widely distributed effect is theoretically well in line with recent findings linking an increased alpha power to an internally oriented state of attention. Measurements of alpha power may, therefore, be used to detect mind wandering online during critical tasks in traffic and industry in order to prevent failures.

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Human cognitive abilities: A survey of factor analytic studies

Abstract: (1998). Human cognitive abilities: A survey of factor analytic studies. Gifted and Talented International: Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 97-98.

The Science of Mind Wandering: Empirically Navigating the Stream of Consciousness

Abstract: Conscious experience is fluid; it rarely remains on one topic for an extended period without deviation. Its dynamic nature is illustrated by the experience of mind wandering, in which attention switches from a current task to unrelated thoughts and feelings. Studies exploring the phenomenology of mind wandering highlight the importance of its content and relation to meta-cognition in determining its functional outcomes. Examination of the information-processing demands of the mind-wandering state suggests that it involves perceptual decoupling to escape the constraints of the moment, its content arises from episodic and affective processes, and its regulation relies on executive control. Mind wandering also involves a complex balance of costs and benefits: Its association with various kinds of error underlines its cost, whereas its relationship to creativity and future planning suggest its potential value. Although essential to the stream of consciousness, various strategies may minimize the downsides of mind wandering while maintaining its productive aspects.