Consistency of attentional control as an important cognitive trait: A latent variable analysis

•Intra-individual variability (IIV) in attention control was examined.•IIV in attention control is related to a number of cognitive abilities.•IIV in attention control predicted real world cognitive failures.•IIV in attention control was linked to subjective reports of mind-wandering.

The present study examined the extent to which consistency in attention control is an important individual difference characteristic related to other cognitive abilities. Experiment 1 demonstrated that intra-individual variability (IIV) on attention control tasks and lexical decision tasks were separate factors with IIV in the attention control factor relating to working memory capacity, fluid intelligence, and long-term memory. Experiment 2 replicated these results and further demonstrated that IIV in attention control predicted everyday cognitive failures (in particular everyday attentional failures). Experiment 3 demonstrated that IIV in attention control was related to subjective reports of mind-wandering but not external distraction, suggesting that fluctuations in attention control are linked to an individual's propensity to mind-wander. Finally, Experiment 3 demonstrated that individual differences in attention control and IIV in attention control are largely the same. These results suggest that the ability to consistently allocate attention control is an important cognitive trait.