Catching thoughts: self-caught experience sampling preferentially captures characteristic features of off-task experiences across the life span

Understanding transient states, like off-task mind-wandering, is assumed to be improved by capitalizing on our ability to recognize changes in our stream of thought, a process known as meta-awareness. We test this assumption by comparing mind-wandering content when noticed by the participant (self-caught) against those thoughts reported after externally initiated probes (probe-caught). Thirty-eight older and 36 younger individuals completed a cognitive task. At the same time, multiple feature descriptions of thoughts (task-relevance, temporal focus, and self-referential) were captured using self and probe-caught methods. Using a pattern-learning approach, we established that self-caught experiences produce similar but generally “noisier” estimates compared to those reported at probes. However, self-caught experiences contained more off-task characteristics relative to reports at probes. Importantly, despite reductions in off-task thought, older adults retain the ability to self-catch experiences with these features. Our study establishes self-catching ability as an essential means of revealing the detailed content of off-task states, an ability relatively well maintained into old age.