A study of the correlations between attentional control, daydreaming, rumination and worry

Abstract

[eng] Attentional control is very important in daily life to perform well in a working environment and accomplish the tasks at hand. Just as external distractors do, internally generated distractions like ruminative thoughts, worry or daydreaming too can lead to distraction and decreased attentional control. The objective of this study was to explore the extent to which attentional control may relate to those self-generated distractions. Using a large sample through an online survey, this study examined the relation between attentional control, daydreaming, depressive rumination and worry. The results confirm the existence of significant negative correlations between attentional control on the one hand and rumination, worry and daydreaming on the other hand.