A d factor? Understanding trait distractibility and its relationships with ADHD symptomatology and hyperfocus

Abstract

People differ substantially in their vulnerability to distraction. Yet, distraction can occur for various reasons, such as external interference, thought intrusions, repetitive negative thoughts, and mind-wandering. How are these different forms of distraction related to each other? Is there a group of people who are successful at resisting all forms of distraction? Two samples of adult participants differing in several dimensions (total N = 1220) completed a large battery of self-report measures assessing different facets of distractibility. Latent modeling revealed that these measures could be explained by three correlated-yet-distinct factors: external distraction, unwanted intrusive thoughts, and mind-wandering. Importantly, about 80% of the total variance in the three factors could be explained by a single higher-order factor (d) that could be construed in terms of a person's general distractibility, and this general distractibility model was highly replicable across the two samples. We then applied the general distractibility model to understand the nature of ADHD symptomatology and hyperfocus (a long-lasting state of concentration often reported by people with ADHD). ADHD symptoms (particularly inattentive symptoms) were predominantly explained by d, whereas hyperfocus displayed qualities of both heightened distractibility and focused attention. Overall, the study contributes to a more comprehensive conceptualization of distractibility and highlights how general distractibility can be used to gain insight into other individual differences.