A wandering mind does not stray far from home: the value of metacognition in distant search.

ABSTRACT: When faced with a problem, how do individuals search for potential solutions? In this article, we explore the cognitive processes that lead to local search (i.e., identifying options closest to existing solutions) and distant search (i.e., identifying options of a qualitatively different nature than existing solutions). We suggest that mind wandering is likely to lead to local search because it operates by spreading activation from initial ideas to closely associated ideas. This reduces the likelihood of accessing a qualitatively different solution. However, instead of getting lost in thought, individuals can also step back and monitor their thoughts from a detached perspective. Such mindful metacognition, we suggest, is likely to lead to distant search because it redistributes activation

SUBMITTER: Kudesia RS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4431673 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature