Attentional Demand and Subliminal Affect Jointly Regulate Task Performance and Mind Wandering
Abstract
Understanding how attention and emotion shape conscious experience remains a central challenge in cognitive science. The present study examined how perceptual load and subliminal emotional information influence task performance and mind wandering. Participants performed a letter search task under low and high perceptual load while being subliminally primed with task-irrelevant happy or angry faces. Thought probes assessed task-unrelated thought, including deliberate and unintentional forms, with block length varied to reduce predictability. High perceptual load slowed responses and reduced accuracy, consistent with load theory. Emotional valence showed limited modulation, with happy faces associated with interference across load conditions and angry faces showing some influence under low load. Mind wandering increased with block length and showed modest modulation by load and emotion, particularly for unintentional task-unrelated thought. Trait mind wandering and ADHD symptoms were associated with higher task-unrelated thought. Overall, the findings suggest that subliminal emotional signals and attentional demands jointly shape performance and conscious thought.