What Features of Mind-wandering episodes Predict their Recall? A Think-Aloud Study

Mind-wandering refers to task-unrelated thoughts whose content is decoupled from the surrounding environment. Although often considered disruptive, mind-wandering may support adaptive functions such as creativity and planning, which require encoding and later retrieving its content from memory. Yet, factors determining whether mind-wandering episodes are remembered or forgotten remain poorly understood. To address this gap, participants completed a 10-min Think-Aloud Protocol at rest, followed by an unexpected free-recall test after a one-day delay. After recall, participants rated the phenomenological characteristics of each mind-wandering episode reported during the Think-Aloud Protocol, allowing comparisons between recalled and forgotten instances. Recall probability increased with mind-wandering episode length and for episodes rated as more socially oriented, important, goal-related, structured, deliberate, about routine activities, and recurrent in daily life. Recall also showed primacy, recency, and forward-asymmetry effects. In addition, mind-wandering episodes with temporal and functional future orientation were more likely to be recalled, whereas episodes lacking function were more likely to be forgotten. In combined models, only temporal dynamics, episode length, involvement of other people, future temporal orientation, and functional utility uniquely predicted recall. Overall, memory for mind-wandering appears shaped by its phenomenological characteristics and temporal dynamics, suggesting organizational principles mirroring those observed for externally perceived stimuli.