In our assigned reading there has been a recurrence of the topic of mind wandering. In the textbook, Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience, mind wandering is brought up as the activation of the default mode network, also known as DMN. The theory behind its occurrences is that DMN occurs when a person is not entirely focused on a task (Goldstein, 2021). I have dealt with the terms daydreamer and would be told repeatedly to “pay attention” since the start of elementary school. I wanted to further understand this mind-wander terminology and found an article that talks about the association with ADHD. To understand the study behind the article we need to understand what mind-wandering is, what is ADHD, and what was concluded in the study.
Many articles showcase the pros and cons behind daydreaming and mind-wondering. When I attempted to find one in favor of the activity, I was met with one with denounced mind wondering that it leads to unhappiness. Science tells us that mind wandering is extremely prevalent and could occur while individuals did a wide range of activities (Goldstein, 2021). As Goldstein explains, “ Your brain switched from task-related networks…to your default mode network and it is in this state where our mind wonders. It is not a productive time to have as studies show that mind-wandering decreases task performance (Randall, Oswald & Beier, 2014). While it is not an ideal thing to occur, it is prevalent and human.
Attention- Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder is commonly abbreviated as ADHD. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder of childhood (CDC, 2022). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors, or may be overactive. The first symptom listed on their website is A child with ADHD might daydream a lot. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders also includes the symptom of inattention, which includes that a child may have difficulty maintaining attention. (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). However, I must point out that the terms daydreaming or mind wandering is not included.
The article Study suggests mind-wandering is an underlying dysfunction among children with ADHD written by Laura Staloch talks about a study in which researchers explored the potential association between mind-wondering and children diagnosed with ADHD (Staloch, 2022). Specifically, unmedicated children diagnosed with ADHD are more likely to mind-wander which ultimately leads to off-task behaviors. It’s fantastic that more studies are being performed so that educators can be better informed on how to better help their students with a diagnosis of ADHD. This information can be beneficial so there is a better understanding of how children think and to be more patient and aware of their student’s behaviors.
Resources:
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, August 9). What is ADHD?. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/facts.html#:~:text=ADHD%20is%20one%20of%20the,)%2C%20or%20be%20overly%20active.
Goldstein, E. Bruce. Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience. Cengage, 2021.
Randall JG, Oswald FL, Beier ME. Mind-wandering, cognition, and performance: a theory-driven meta-analysis of attention regulation. Psychol Bull. 2014 Nov;140(6):1411-1431. doi: 10.1037/a0037428. Epub 2014 Aug 4. PMID: 25089941.
Staloch, L. (2022, December 5). Study suggests mind-wandering is an underlying dysfunction among children with ADHD. PsyPost. https://www.psypost.org/2022/12/study-suggests-mind-wandering-is-an-underlying-dysfunction-among-children-with-adhd-64451
This topic is one of my favorites to discuss- I’m sure partially due to my personal bias of being included within the neurodiversity spectrum that ADHD falls in. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post and gained some new knowledge in doing so, which I thank you for!
Your referencing of unmedicated children and their likeliness to mind-wander reminded me of someone I know with ADHD who takes moderate doses of Adderall daily. In discussion, they’ve admitted that they don’t take this medication daily because it actually seems to increase their “brain fog.” I did some research and found an article about the direct connection between brain fog and ADHD. The site, Healthline, specifically lists that symptoms of brain fog include mental fatigue, forgetfulness, mind-wandering, daydreamy and disconnected from reality-feeling, lost motivation, overwhelm, and more (Stanborough, 2022). I wondered, too, if part of your struggle in finding information on mind-wandering could be solved by searching in the direction of ‘brain fog’ instead. As I implied in my friend’s circumstances, Healthline also reveals that ADHD medications can also provide people with side effects that feel like brain fog, but the symptoms listed seem to be much more mellow than real brain fog presents itself as. Anyone I’ve talked to about this “brain fog” they feel after being on a certain ADHD medication, the brain fog is oftentimes accompanied with feelings of numbness, like their personality has been diluted, etc. Perhaps this is a separate phenomenon, but I’m interesting in learning more.
References:
Stanborough, R. J. (2022, January 26). What to Know About ADHD and Brain Fog. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/adhd-brain-fog
Hi, I enjoyed going through your post because of my own personal experience with ADHD. I never really thought or looked deep into the ins and outs of ADHD, I fully understand the differences between something happening because of adhd and something happening due to another cause. I dont know the specifics but also understand that ADHD is something that cannot be cured, only treated to help live with it. As a child I was, as your post said a daydreamer and told to pay attention, I didnt know why I was unable to not pay attention, but as life went on I started to understand what it was, the effects on learning it has on me, what medications can do/cant do and that helped navigate through it. Ill have to look further into what your post talks about to get a better understanding on DMN and mind wandering.
I really enjoyed reading your post about ADHD! I also have dealt with a lot of the things you talked about in your post such as daydreaming and controlling impulsive behaviours. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 17 and since then I have definitely found some things that help me stay on task and focused when needed. Talking about having difficulty with staying on focus, I find this really impacts me in relation to school work. I have a really bad habit of procrastinating because in my mind if I have more than like 6 hours to do something, it’s not a primary focus for me.. Sometimes this causes me to miss assignments or run out of time for things.
I also find it interesting to look at the behaviours of ADHD and also the ways in which people self diagnose themselves with ADHD, I feel like there has been a rise in this because of things like social media, TikTok specifically. There is also a lot of overlap in the behaviours and similarities between ADHD and autism with I think is also interesting to look at.
Hello,
I enjoyed reading your post! I appreciate you explaining what ADHD is.
Doing a little research myself, I have read that parents see the child struggle with low self-esteem, school anxiety, troubled relationships and poor performance in school. (mayoclinic, 2021).
With this, there are also subtypes of ADHD; such as Inattentive ADHD, Hyperactive/ Impulsive ADHD, and combined that is both Inattentive ADHD, and hyperactive/ Impulsive ADHD.
Although, treatments will not cure Attention – deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but they can help with the ongoing symptoms. There are medications and behavioral interventions that can help with coping. Behavioral strategies include, giving praise and rewards when rules are followed, giving clear, effective directions or commands, establish healthy habits, develop routines around homework and chores, and last but not least, helping the child build relationships, strong social skills and maintain friendships.
Works Cited:
Elisabeth Ojukwu, M.D. (2022) Schedule teen health checkup, Mayo Clinic Health System. Available at: https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/add-health-checkup-to-teens-back-to-school-list (Accessed: 13 June 2023).
Perera, A. and PereraResearcherB.A, A. (2023) Episodic memory: Definition & examples, Simply Psychology. Available at: https://www.simplypsychology.org/episodic-memory.html (Accessed: 11 June 2023).
Psychology.org (2022) How to become a developmental psychologist, Psychology.org | Psychology’s Comprehensive Online Resource. Available at: https://www.psychology.org/careers/developmental-psychologist/ (Accessed: 10 June 2023).