Recent publications

Smilek, D., Ayers-Glassey, S., van Dijk-Allen, M., & Safati, A. B. (2025). Agentic aspects of attentional disengagement.Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology / Revue canadienne de psychologie expérimentale. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/cep0000377

Drody, A. C., Pereira, E. J. & Smilek, D. (2025). Attention in our digital ecosystem: The five interactive components that drive media multitasking. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-025-02722-5

Ayers-Glassey, S., Pereira, E. J., Wammes, J. D., & Smilek, D. (2025). Retrospective attention: Examining temporally specific retrospective reports of mind wandering and engagement during online video lectures. Psychological Research, 89, Article 103. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-025-02133-0

Drody, A. C., Pereira, E. J., Danckert, J., & Smilek, D. (2025). Inattention over time-on-task: The role of motivation in mitigating temporal increases in media multitasking. Frontiers in Cognition, 4, 1547295. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcogn.2025.1547295

Safati, A. B., Alkheder, W. A., Lowe, C. J., & Smilek, D. (2025). The effects of cannabis on mind-wandering. Heliyon, 11(4), e42911. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e42911

Safati, A. B., Carr, T. H., Lowe, C. J., & Smilek, D. (2024). Mind wandering on command. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1448226. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1448226

Kruger, T. B., Dixon, M. J., Oakman, J. M., & Smilek, D. (2024). Examining the effects of caffeine during an auditory attention task. Consciousness and Cognition, 124, 103729. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2024.103729

Caron, E. E., Drody, A. C., Carriere, J. S. A. & Smilek, D, (2024). The impact of a global pandemic on undergraduate learning experiences: lifting the restrictions. Eur J Psychol Educ, 39, 2435–2459. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-023-00790-6

Pereira, E. J., Ayers-Glassey, S., Wammes, J. D., & Smilek, D. (2024). Attention in hindsight: Using stimulated recall to capture dynamic fluctuations in attentional engagement. Behav Res, 56, 5354–5385. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-023-02273-4

Marty-Dugas, J., Rajasingham, M., McHardy, R. J., Kim, J., & Smilek, D. (2024). Instructor enthusiasm in online lectures: How vocal enthusiasm impacts student engagement, learning, and memory. Frontiers in Education, 9, 1339815. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1339815

Marty-Dugas, J., McHardy, R. J., Ralph, B. C. W., Kim, J., & Smilek, D. (2024). Active vs passive media multitasking and memory for lecture materials. Heliyon, 10(11), e31935. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31935

Smith, A. C. & Smilek, D. (2024). On the relation between oral contraceptive use and self-control. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 15, 1335384. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2024.1335384

Ayers-Glassey, S. & Smilek, D. (2024). The relations between hyperfocus and similar attentional states, adult ADHD symptoms, and affective dysfunction. Curr Psychol 43, 11254–11266. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05235-3

Drody, A. C., Ralph, B. C. W., Danckert, J., & Smilek, D. (2023). Do rising opportunity costs lead to increases in media multitasking over time? Media Psychology, 27(1), 135–160. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2023.2227562

Kruger, T. B., Dixon, M. J., & Smilek, D. (2024). Caffeine use and attentional engagement in everyday life. Current Research in Behavioral Sciences, 7, 100152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crbeha.2024.100152

Smith, A. C., Marty-Dugas, J., Ralph, B. C. W., & Smilek, D. (2023). Examining the relation between grit, flow, and measures of attention in everyday life. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 10(4), 368–380. https://doi.org/10.1037/cns0000226

Brosowsky, N. P., DeGutis, J., Esterman, M., Smilek, D., & Seli, P. (2023). Mind wandering, motivation, and task performance over time: Evidence that motivation insulates people from the negative effects of mind wandering. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 10(4), 475–486. https://doi.org/10.1037/cns0000263

Albert, D. A. & Smilek, D. (2023). Comparing attentional disengagement between Prolific and MTurk samples. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-46048-5

Homann, L. A., Drody, A. C. & Smilek, D. (2023). The effects of self-selected background music and task difficulty on task engagement and performance in a visual vigilance task. Psychological Research, 87, 2460–2476. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-023-01836-6

Smith, A. C., Ralph, B. C. W., Smilek, D., & Wammes, J. D. (2023). The relation between trait flow and engagement, understanding, and grades in undergraduate lectures. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(3), 742-757. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12589

Marty-Dugas, J., Smith, A. C., & Smilek, D. (2023). Focus on your breath: Can mindfulness facilitate the experience of flow? Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 10(3), 254–280. https://doi.org/10.1037/cns0000251

Hicks, L. J., Caron, E. E., & Smilek, D. (2023). SARS-CoV-2 and learning: The impact of a global pandemic on undergraduate learning experiences. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 9(3), 235–253. https://doi.org/10.1037/stl0000250

Drody, A. C., Pereira, E. J., & Smilek, D. (2023). The importance of accounting for off-task behaviours during data collection. Nature Human Behaviour, 7(8), 1234-1236. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01653-2 

Smith, A. C., Marty-Dugas, J, & Smilek, D. (2023). Examining the relation between oral contraceptive use and attentional engagement in everyday life. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 17, 1147515. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2023.1147515

Caron, E. E., Drody, A. C., Carriere, J. S., & Smilek, D. (2023). Examining the relation between perfectionism and mind-wandering. Journal of Research in Personality, 104, 104379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2023.104379

Carriere, J. S., Nelson, A. L., Cheyne, J. A., & Smilek, D. (2023). Influences of inattention on perceived self-efficacy, stress, and depression. Frontiers in Cognition, 2, 1125197. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcogn.2023.1125197

Caron, E. E., Marusich, L. R., Bakdash, J. Z., Ballotti, R. J., Tague, A. M., Carriere, J. S. A., Smilek, D., Harter, D., Lu, S., Reynolds, M. G. (2023). The influence of posture on attention. Experimental Psychology, 69(6), 295–307. https://doi.org/10.1027/1618-3169/a000567

Lochner, M. & Smilek, D. (2023). The uncertain advisor: Trust, accuracy, and self-correction in an automated decision support system. Cogn Process, 24, 95–106. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-022-01113-1