Mindset Type versus Level of Cortical Activation

The concept of mindset, developed by P. Gollwitzer, distinguishes motivational and volitional elements in the action process. The mindset is a relatively constant tendency displayed by individuals and observed in many situations, and activated when an individual becomes involved in a given action. The main aim of our study was to discover differences in cortical activity in the predecisional and the preactional phases of the action process. The study involved 32 persons. The participants were connected to an EEG and the results were recorded. The progress of stimulation was registered by a computer. The test consisted of three phases: deliberation, relaxation and implementation. The results of our experiment, which point to significantly higher cognitive activity in the predecisional phase as opposed to the preactional phase, seem to confirm the theoretical assumptions and indicate the existence of a qua litative difference between these phases. The subjects’ cognitive activity in the predecisional phase resembles task-solving based on heuristic instruction, although in contrast to this activity, the goal here might be unknown. The preactional phase, on the other hand, might be compared to solving an algorithm-based task and is firmly connected with developing a certain strategy allowing goal attainment and the planning of actions. This mental functioning has a strong impact on brain activity.