Mindfulness Plus Reflection Training: Effects on Executive Function in Early Childhood

Abstract

Executive function (EF) skills are essential for academic achievement, and poverty-related stress interferes with their development. This pre-test, post-test, follow-up randomized-control trial assessed the impact of an intervention targeting reflection and stress reduction on children's EF skills. Preschool children (N = 218) from schools serving low-income families in two U.S. cities were randomly assigned to one of three options delivered in 30 small-group sessions over 6 weeks: Mindfulness + Reflection training; Literacy training; or Business as Usual (BAU). Sessions were conducted by local teachers trained in a literacy curriculum or Mindfulness + Reflection intervention, which involved calming activities and games that provided opportunities to practice reflection in the context of goal-directed problem solving. EF improved in all groups, but planned contrasts indicated that the Mindfulness + Reflection group significantly outperformed the BAU group at Follow-up (4 weeks post-test). No differences in EF were observed between the BAU and Literacy training groups. Results suggest that a brief, small-group, school-based intervention teaching mindfulness and reflection did not improve EF skills more than literacy training but is promising compared to BAU for improving EF in low-income preschool children several weeks following the intervention.

Mindfulness-Based Program Embedded Within the Existing Curriculum Improves Executive Functioning and Behavior in Young Children: A Waitlist Controlled Trial

“…There were no significant differences on any measure of executive functioning although small sample size and lack of validated measures may have reduced the opportunity to determine if the program was helpful. Zelazo et al (2018) found that children who were randomly assigned to a mindfulness plus reflection training program significantly outperformed the business-as-usual (BAU) group in direct behavioral assessments of EFs, with differences most pronounced at the 4–6 week follow-up testing. Off (2018), in an unpublished dissertation, undertook an evaluation of MindUP in children ( N = 159) in 15 Kindergarten classrooms across eight schools using a pre–post design.…”

Rethinking executive function development

“…Numerous studies have tested the possibility that executive function can be improved in children (and adults) broadly by exercising executive function components on lab tasks or via particular activities thought to require executive function, like switching between two languages, engaging in pretend play, and doing martial arts (Bialystok, 2001;Lillard et al, 2013;Diamond, 2012), or by supporting underlying developmental mechanisms like reflection (e.g., Espinet, Anderson, & Zelazo, 2013;Zelazo, Forston, Masten, & Carlson, 2018). Improvements in executive function components are then expected to lead to improvements in related domains that require executive function (e.g., so-called "transfer").…”

“…Importantly, there may be variation in the cultural knowledge, beliefs, and values that children learn that can support reflection and using executive function in various contexts (Doebel et al, 2019;Lamm et al, 2018;Lillard, 2016;Obradovic, et al, 2019). Thus, instead of training children to reflect during executive function lab tasks (e.g, Espinet, Anderson, & Zelazo, 2013;Zelazo, Forston, Masten, & Carlson, 2018) it may be more fruitful to provide children with experiences that could help them value using control more, which may, in turn, improve their awareness of the need for control in critical moments. Similarly, children who gain extensive concrete experience learning about shape and color dimensions in their preschool classrooms (like children in Montessori preschools) may perform better on the card sort than children in play-based preschools, in part because they are more capable of reflecting on diverse aspects of the task at hand and engaging control accordingly (Lillard, 2016).…”

Childhood Brain Development, the Educational Achievement Gap, and Cognitive Enhancement

“…Likewise, college students could be motivated to use stimulants to achieve higher grades but potentially be jeopardizing their health. In addition, although beyond the scope of this article, other alternatives to mitigate the impact of poverty on cognition and learning abilities should be carefully explored and considered under the right circumstances if such techniques are safe and efficacious ( Hildebrandt et al, 2017 ; Zelazo et al, 2018 ).…”