SIGNAL-DETECTION PERFORMANCE BY SUBJECTS DIFFERING IN PREDISPOSITION TO DAYDREAMING

SS REPRESENTING EXTREMES ON QUESTIONNAIRES OF PRIOR DISPOSITION TO DAYDREAMING FREQUENCY AND THOUGHTFULNESS ALSO DIFFERED IN REPORTS OF TASK-IRRELEVANT IMAGERY DURING RAPID-RATE AUDITORY SIGNAL-DETECTION SESSIONS. WHILE HIGH DAYDREAMERS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT PERFORMANCE DECREMENT OVER TIME IN GENERAL, THEY DID NOT SHOW SIGNIFICANTLY MORE DETECTION ERRORS THAN DID LOW DAYDREAMERS. RESULTS SUGGEST THAT DATA OBTAINED FROM QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES ARE RELEVANT TO PERFORMANCE IN AN EXPERIMENTAL SITUATION AND ALSO SUPPORT A MODEL RELATING DAYDREAMING TRENDS TO CERTAIN PATTERNS OF PREFERENCE FOR INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL STIMULATION EVEN UNDER RELATIVELY DEMANDING AND ALERTING CONDITIONS OF RAPID SIGNAL PRESENTATION.