Relationships between Intentional Suppression for Mind Wandering and Negative Mood during a Lecture

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of intentional suppression and negative mood on mind wandering during a lecture. Participants were asked to record their thoughts when cues were presented by the lecturer and to rate to what extent their attention was either on the lecture or on concerns unrelated to the lecture. Results indicated that the degree of intentional suppression predicted decreased mind wandering. However, negative mood mediated the relationship between intentional suppression and mind wandering. When participants had high levels of negative mood during the lecture, intentional suppression did not decrease mind wandering. These findings suggest that negative mood induces cognitive depletion and interferes with intentional suppression of mind wandering. The role of thought suppression in understanding the mechanisms underlying mind wandering is discussed.