Objectives: Mindfulness meditation is associated with better attention function. Performance monitoring and error-processing are important aspects of attention. We investigated whether experienced meditators showed different neural activity related to performance monitoring and error-processing. Previous research has produced inconsistent results. This study used more rigorous analyses and a larger sample to resolve the inconsistencies. Methods: We used electroencephalography (EEG) to measure the error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe) following correct and incorrect responses to a Go/Nogo task from 27 experienced meditators and 27 non-meditators. Results: No differences were found in the ERN (all p > 0.05). Meditators showed larger global field potentials (GFP) in the Pe after both correct responses and errors, indicating stronger neural responses (p = 0.0190, FDR-p = 0.152, np2 = 0.0951, BFincl = 2.691). This effect did not pass multiple comparison controls. However, single electrode analysis of the Pe did pass multiple comparison controls (p = 0.002, FDR-p = 0.016, np2 = 0.133, BFincl = 220.659). Meditators also showed a significantly larger Pe GFP for errors only, which would have passed multiple comparison controls, but was not a primary analysis (p = 0.0028, np2 = 0.1493, BF10 = 9.999). Conclusions: Meditation may strengthen neural responses related to performance monitoring (measured by the Pe), but not specifically to error monitoring (although measurements of the Pe after errors may be more sensitive to group differences). However, only the single electrode analysis passed multiple comparison controls, while analysis including all electrodes did not, so this conclusion remains tentative.

Objectives Mindfulness meditation is associated with better attention function. Performance monitoring and error-processing are important aspects of attention. We investigated whether experienced meditators showed different neural activity related to performance monitoring and error-processing. Previous research has produced inconsistent results. This study used more rigorous analyses and a larger sample to resolve the inconsistencies. Method We used electroencephalography (EEG) to measure the error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe) following correct and incorrect responses to a Go/Nogo task from 27 experienced meditators and 27 non-meditators. Results No differences were found in the ERN (all p > 0.05). Meditators showed larger global field potentials (GFP) in the Pe after correct responses and errors, indicating stronger neural responses (p = 0.019, FDR-p = 0.152, np2 = 0.095, BFincl = 2.691). This effect did not pass multiple comparison controls. However, single-electrode analysis of the Pe did pass multiple comparison controls (p = 0.002, FDR-p = 0.016, np2 = 0.133, BFincl = 220.659). Meditators also showed a significantly larger Pe GFP for errors, which would have passed multiple comparison controls, but was not a primary analysis (p = 0.003, np2 = 0.149, BF10 = 9.999). Conclusions Meditation may strengthen neural responses related to performance monitoring. However, these strengthened neural responses were not specific to error monitoring (although the error-related Pe may be more sensitive to group differences than the correct response Pe). These conclusions remain tentative, because the single-electrode analysis passed multiple comparison controls, but the analysis including all electrodes did not. Preregistration This study was not preregistered.