Disputas - Master i psykologi Andreas Alexandersen

Avhandlingen er tilgjengelig her! / The doctoral thesis is available here!

Disputasen strømmes og et opptak vil være tilgjengelig i et døgn.
The defense will be streamed, and a recording of the disputation will be available for 24 hours.


NB! Prøveforelesning over oppgitt emne starter 15.9.25 kl. 11.15 / Note! The trial lecture starts September 15th at 11.15
Tittel/Title: Task or Mind-Wandering? How Brain Networks Switch — and How This Differs in Clinical Populations»
Prøveforelesningen strømmes her / The trial lecture will be streamed here.

Disputasen starter 19.9.25 kl. 16.15 / The defense starts September 19th at 16.15
Disputasen strømmes her / The defense will be streamed here


Populærvitenskapelig sammendrag av avhandlingen/ Summary of the thesis:

This research explores the fascinating connection between how our brain manages tasks (executive functioning) and those moments when our mind drifts off (mind wandering). Through three studies, we tested ideas about what influences mind wandering, including brain stimulation techniques and different situational factors.

In the first study, we identified clear brain activity patterns linked to mind wandering. However, using a gentle brain stimulation method (called transcranial direct current stimulation) on the prefrontal cortex didn’t seem to affect how often people’s minds wandered or caused any noticeable changes in their behavior or brain activity.

The second study looked at how we measure mind wandering and how the environment shapes it. We found that giving people direct feedback on their performance (rather than just general positive feedback) helped them do better on tasks, though it didn’t change how focused they felt. Interestingly, letting people know how much time they’d spent on a task improved their performance but also made them report more mind wandering. Similarly, when people felt like they were being watched, they reported more mind wandering, but their performance didn’t suffer.

In the third study, we confirmed earlier findings that targeting a specific brain area (the left angular gyrus, part of the default mode network) with a different type of brain stimulation (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation) reduced mind wandering and improved task performance. This suggests potential ways to use brain stimulation to help with focus and executive functioning.

Overall, this work not only deepens our understanding of mind wandering but also emphasizes the importance of carefully replicating studies to ensure reliable results. It also highlights how brain stimulation could be used in future research and even practical applications, while pointing out ways to improve how we study mind wandering

Veiledere/ Supervisors:
Hovedveileder/Main supervisor:
Professor Matthias Mittner, Institutt for psykologi,  , Det helsevitenskapelige fakultet, UiT Norges arktiske universitet.

Biveileder/supervisor
Professor Gabor Csifcsak, Institutt for psykologi, Det helsevitenskapelige fakultet, UiT Norges arktiske universitet.

Bedømmelseskomité/Defensecomitee:
Professor Kalina Christoff Hadjiilieva, University of British Columbia – 1. opponent.
Professor Marco Hirnstein, Universitetet i Bergen – 2. opponent.
Professor James McCutcheon, Institutt for psykologi, Det helsevitenskapelige fakultet, UiT Norges arktiske universitet – leder av komité.

Disputasleder/ Leader of defense: 
Instituttleder Per Håkan Brøndbo, Institutt for psykologi, Det helsevitenskapelige fakultet, UiT Norges arktiske universitet.