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14-06-2018 | Original Article

Deep, effortless concentration: re-examining the flow concept and exploring relations with inattention, absorption, and personality

Auteurs: Jeremy Marty-Dugas, Daniel Smilek

Gepubliceerd in: Psychological Research | Uitgave 8/2019

Abstract

Conceptualizing the construct of flow in terms of ‘deep and effortless concentration’, we developed two measurement scales designed to index individual differences in flow during ‘internal’ tasks, such as thinking (deep effortless concentration: internal—DECI) and during ‘external’ tasks, such as while playing a sport (deep effortless concentration: external—DECE). These scales were highly correlated, indicating that individuals prone to experiencing flow in external contexts are also prone to experience flow in internal contexts. Nonetheless, a measurement model construing internal and external flow as related, but separate, constructs was found to fit the data significantly better than a model where they were construed as a single construct. We then explored associations between flow and various forms of everyday inattention. In addition, we explored the relation between flow and the Tellegen Absorption Scale (TAS), an index of absorption, as well as the Big Five personality traits. Amongst other things, we found that flow was negatively related to inattention, indicating that people who experience flow more frequently may experience relatively less inattention in everyday contexts.

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These conditions are often referred to as the ‘flow’, ‘boredom’, and ‘anxiety’ conditions, respectively, but we find that the terms optimal balance, underload, and overload are less ambiguous about the level of skill-challenge balance.

Of the original nine items, three were selected for the flow index. These were “I would love to solve math calculations of that kind again” “I was thrilled” and “Task demands were well matched to my ability”. The same items were also used in the 2016 paper.

For example items from an earlier version of the DFS-2, see Jackson & Marsh, 1996.

See Tellegen & Atkinson, 1974 for some example items.

SFPQ assesses seven facets using one item each (with three subscales to measure flow in different contexts), while the DFS-2 assess nine facets using four items per facet.

Four participants listed the same value for their age and gender (e.g., age = 29, gender = 29), and one participant marked an ‘x’. As gender was not a variable of interest for the present study, no participants were removed from analysis on the basis of gender.

Skew = 0.94. Kurtosis = 0.24.

We ran several previous iterations of this experiment during the development of the items for the internal and external flow scales. Each iteration varied in some way, either with the content of the items, the instructions, or the number of other questionnaires participants were presented with, before we finalized the items and instructions for the present study.

This is considerably more problematic for a trait scale, where individuals could experience each facet in entirely different contexts. For example, a frequent experience of clear goals at work, a frequent loss of self-consciousness while driving, and action-awareness merging while doodling.

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Titel: Deep, effortless concentration: re-examining the flow concept and exploring relations with inattention, absorption, and personality
Auteurs: Jeremy Marty-Dugas
Daniel Smilek
Publicatiedatum: 14-06-2018
Uitgeverij: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Gepubliceerd in: Psychological Research / Uitgave 8/2019
Print ISSN: 0340-0727
Elektronisch ISSN: 1430-2772
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-018-1031-6

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