Investigating the Impact of Mind Wandering and Attentional Control on Force Production

This research studies the effects of mind wandering (introspection) and attentional control which alternate between focused attention and unfocused mental states during a task of force production. More specifically, our aim is to identify features which allow investigating the mechanical force modifications which result from i) an isometric force task performed at three level of force (low, medium and high), ii) a mental training of attentional control (using endogenous and exogenous attention)iii) repetition of the task over time allowing to modulate the concentration. Behavior (Reaction time) and biomechanical (normalized force peak) indices are measured and selected as features in our study. We conclude: 1) the high force level, close to maximum voluntary force is better reproduced, 2) the low force level is sensitive to stimulating conditions 3) the medium force level is difficult to master but mental training reinforced it.