Publication Date

2009-05-26

Availability

Open access

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PHD)

Department

Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

Date of Defense

2008-12-09

First Committee Member

Sheri Johnson - Committee Chair

Second Committee Member

Michael E. McCullough - Committee Member

Third Committee Member

Heather Henderson - Committee Member

Fourth Committee Member

Jutta Joormann - Committee Member

Fifth Committee Member

David Loewenstein - Committee Member

Abstract

The effect on two sessions of mindfulness training on attentional efficiency was examined. 150 novice meditators were randomly assigned to mindfulness training, relaxation training, or a neutral task and were tested before and after participation. They were evaluated with performance measures of attentional efficiency and short-term memory as well as self-report measures of mindfulness and affect. Results indicated that mindfulness training was not related to better performance on any attention measure or a verbal memory measure as compared to relaxation and control groups. Possible reasons for the failure to find attentional benefits are explored and directions for future research are discussed.

Keywords

Mindfulness; Attention

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