I am extremely happy to share that my project, “Exploring the positive effects of mind wandering on statistical learning,” has been awarded the prestigious Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento 2024 grant. This significant funding of 112,500 euros from the Agencia Estatal de Investigación marks a major milestone, as it’s my first ever grant as a Principal Investigator. The project will challenge the common assumption that mind wandering is solely a negative process by investigating its potential benefits for statistical learning. I plan to explore how different types of mind wandering interact with this process and whether it can be manipulated to enhance cognitive performance.

Mind wandering during implicit learning is associated with increased periodic EEG activity and improved extraction of hidden probabilistic patterns, Journal of Neuroscience

Often seen as a distraction, mind wandering may actually boost certain types of learning. Our study found it positively correlated with probabilistic learning. Brain activity in low-frequency ranges—similar to sleep states—was linked to both mind wandering and better learning, particularly in early stages.

Mind wandering enhances statistical learning, iScience

Mind-wandering (MW) occupies 30-50% of our waking hours, yet its purpose remains unclear. This study explored MW’s role in predictive learning by measuring task performance and probabilistic information extraction during on-task and MW states. Results showed MW enhanced the extraction of hidden patterns, suggesting it plays a functional role in cognition and predictive processes. This highlights the adaptive potential of MW and its ability to enhance cognitive abilities.