This article presents a cognitive model of distraction and mind-wandering that combines and formalizes several existing theories. It assumes that task-related goals and opportunities for distraction are continuously in competition for mental resources. If the task-related goal does not need a particular resource at a particular moment, the likelihood that it is captured by a distraction is high. We applied this model to explain the results of three distraction experiments that differ from each other in a number of ways. The first experiment is a slow-paced mind-wandering study; the main result is that less mind-wandering occurs if subjects have to maintain an item in working memory. The second experiment is a working memory task in which mind-wandering is triggered by the presence of self-referential words in a secondary task; these words increase mental elaboration and reduce memory performance. The third experiment is a mental arithmetic/ memory/visual attention task, in which subjects became more distracted by a flanking (irrelevant) video as the task increased in complexity: as subjects need more time to think, they leave the visual resource vulnerable to distraction. Although these phenomena have been treated separately in the literature, we show that these phenomena can be explained by a single comprehensive model that is based on the assumption that distractions target unused cognitive resources.

本文介绍了一种分散注意力和思想游荡的认知模型，该模型结合并形式化了几种现有的理论。它假定与任务相关的目标和分散注意力的机会一直在争夺智力资源。如果与任务相关的目标在特定时刻不需要特定资源，那么分心地捕获它的可能性就很高。我们应用此模型来解释三个分散注意力实验的结果，它们在许多方面彼此不同。第一个实验是一项缓慢的思想游荡研究；主要结果是，如果受试者必须将一项保持在工作记忆中，则可以减少思维混乱。第二个实验是一个工作记忆任务，其中在次要任务中由于存在自我指称词而引发思维游荡。这些单词增加了智力，降低了记忆力。第三个实验是心理算术/记忆/视觉注意任务，其中随着任务的复杂性增加，受试者被侧翼（无关）视频变得更加分心：随着受试者需要更多时间思考，他们使视觉资源容易分散注意力。尽管这些现象在文献中已分别进行了处理，但我们表明，可以通过一个综合模型来解释这些现象，该模型基于以下假设：分散注意力的对象是未使用的认知资源。它们使视觉资源容易分散注意力。尽管这些现象在文献中已分别进行了处理，但我们表明，可以通过一个综合模型来解释这些现象，该模型基于以下假设：分散注意力的对象是未使用的认知资源。它们使视觉资源容易分散注意力。尽管这些现象在文献中已分别进行了处理，但我们表明，可以通过一个综合模型来解释这些现象，该模型基于以下假设：分散注意力的对象是未使用的认知资源。