Image Streaming and Mindfulness Meditation
Image streaming = mind-wandering / spontaneous thought + metaawareness (self-awareness of our own thoughts).
Image streaming is actually a type of mindfulness meditation – both open-monitoring (of spontaneous thoughts) and focused attention (ensuring that mental content is only images, not other sensations or internal content).
So the benefits of image streaming should be the same as for potentially both types of mindfulness meditation. Here is a review of these two types of meditation and their benefits. For a quick abstract check out this one which concludes: “brief mindfulness training significantly improved visuo-spatial processing, working memory, and executive functioning”.
Default Mode Network and Executive (Task Positive) Networks
Task-focused, intelligent cognition is subserved by the fronto-parietal network.
Mind-wandering results in activation of default network regions (e.g. medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex).
Mind-wandering also results in the frontoparietal (executive) network.
The joint recruitment of executive and default network regions–two brain systems that so far have been assumed to work in opposition–suggests that mind wandering may evoke a unique mental state that may allow otherwise opposing networks to work in cooperation.
Recruitment in both default and executive network regions is strongest when subjects are unaware (have no meta-awareness) of their own mind wandering, suggesting that mind wandering is most pronounced when it lacks meta-awareness.
Costs of Mind-Wandering
Mind-wandering can be intrusive when trying to focus on a cognitively challenging task, and impairs working memory and/or IQ demanding tasks (Ref). Mind-wandering may also depress mood.
Benefits of Mind-Wandering
Mind-wandering may help with future planning, creative thinking , and disengagement from being overly goal fixated and cognitively rigid (finding new solutions to old problems), dishabituation from task ‘overload’ leading to more efficient learning, and also help overcome boredom (Ref).
Intelligence > Efficient Deactivation of Default Mode Network
High-intelligent individuals are more efficient in deactivating the default mode network – e.g. LESS neural effort to deactivate this network. More intelligent persons reduce default mode activity more efficiently during the performance of cognitively challenging tasks.
High-intelligent individuals are particularly efficient in reducing task-irrelevant and potentially disturbing default processes during task performance during task processing, they put more effort into cognitive control-related activity in the TPN. (Ref)
Higher intelligence is associated with higher global network communication efficiency (e.g. less path length) in the default mode network at rest (Ref)
Also, more intelligent individuals have stronger activation in regions of the executive frontoparietal network suggests that higher-intelligent people put more effort into task-specific – and presumably task-relevant – cognitive processes (Ref).
PROVISIONAL CONCLUSION
Image streaming engages both default and executive networks. It’s reasonable to conclude that spontaneous image streaming will help train the default mode network and spontaneous visuo-spatial thought, which could have the benefits of mind-wandering listed above.
With open monitoring labelling of the contents, it may also help train the efficiency of inhibiting the default mode network when there is a cognitively challenging task, consistent with the mindfulness meditation research.
Image streaming may also help with both boredom and dishabituation while doing working memory training (e.g. IQ Mindware) – in as far as these are likely functions of mind-wandering.