The topic of my Psych Review Paper was “mind-wandering” and whether it had an effect on film comprehension. Mind wandering is defined as an attentional shift away from a primary task or ongoing event in the external environment towards internally task-unrelated thoughts or feelings; it is basically a daydream. Researchers have studied this topic for years and concluded that mind wandering occurs when there is little attention required in our daily tasks. I mentioned in my paper that sitting in a one hour and fifteen minute lecture would increase the likelihood of mind wandering. But, what researchers wanted to know is mind wandering occur during motion pictures that were specifically designed to hold viewers’ attention. Before beginning the
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The results suggested that it is possible to decrease mind wandering during film comprehension by providing the viewer with background knowledge of the movie. However, situational interest interacts with this relationship in that prior-knowledge alone is not enough to stop mind wandering when interest is low.
Rationalism in relation to Mind Wandering
As I mentioned in my Psych Review Paper, prior knowledge and situational interest was a huge in factor in the occurrence of mind wandering. When I read the Hergenhahn papers on Rationalism, I realized these two topics had a lot in common. In the Rationalism chapter, the chapter began by giving a definition of empiricism; which is the belief that experience is the basis of all knowledge. In the mind wandering experiment, researchers really emphasized that knowing the plot of the film and having situational interest in it can lower the occurrence of mind wandering. So, I began to wonder if having a type of “mind” could have anything to do with film comprehension and mind wandering. The chapter mentioned that empiricists and sensationalists assumed the importance of sensory information, even though most used introspection to analyze what happened to that …show more content…
Given certain sensory data and certain rules of thought, certain conclusions must follow. In the chapter, the author mentioned that there is not a super distinct difference between empiricists and rationalists. Although, it sort of seemed like that at the beginning of the chapter. But, as I read further, I realized that one would probably have to think like an empiricists and rationalists to decrease mind wandering. In this one section, the author emphasized that there is not a clear distinction between empiricism and rationalism. They stated that some empiricists proposed a mind that was anything but passive and most rationalists accepted the importance of sensory information in the quest for knowledge and truth. The author emphasized, in most cases, the real difference between an empiricists and a rationalists was a matter of emphasis. The empiricists emphasized the importance of sensory information and had a relatively passive mind. The rationalists emphasized the importance of innate structures, principles, or concepts, and postulated an active mind that transforms the data provided. As I read further, I began to realize that one’s
The results suggested that it is possible to decrease mind wandering during film comprehension by providing the viewer with background knowledge of the movie. However, situational interest interacts with this relationship in that prior-knowledge alone is not enough to stop mind wandering when interest is low.
Rationalism in relation to Mind Wandering
As I mentioned in my Psych Review Paper, prior knowledge and situational interest was a huge in factor in the occurrence of mind wandering. When I read the Hergenhahn papers on Rationalism, I realized these two topics had a lot in common. In the Rationalism chapter, the chapter began by giving a definition of empiricism; which is the belief that experience is the basis of all knowledge. In the mind wandering experiment, researchers really emphasized that knowing the plot of the film and having situational interest in it can lower the occurrence of mind wandering. So, I began to wonder if having a type of “mind” could have anything to do with film comprehension and mind wandering. The chapter mentioned that empiricists and sensationalists assumed the importance of sensory information, even though most used introspection to analyze what happened to that …show more content…
Given certain sensory data and certain rules of thought, certain conclusions must follow. In the chapter, the author mentioned that there is not a super distinct difference between empiricists and rationalists. Although, it sort of seemed like that at the beginning of the chapter. But, as I read further, I realized that one would probably have to think like an empiricists and rationalists to decrease mind wandering. In this one section, the author emphasized that there is not a clear distinction between empiricism and rationalism. They stated that some empiricists proposed a mind that was anything but passive and most rationalists accepted the importance of sensory information in the quest for knowledge and truth. The author emphasized, in most cases, the real difference between an empiricists and a rationalists was a matter of emphasis. The empiricists emphasized the importance of sensory information and had a relatively passive mind. The rationalists emphasized the importance of innate structures, principles, or concepts, and postulated an active mind that transforms the data provided. As I read further, I began to realize that one’s