The Effects of a Brief Mindfulness Exercise on Executive Attention and Recognition Memory

Watier, Nicholas; Dubois, Michael

doi:10.1007/s12671-016-0514-z

Cited by 38 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…This is similar to RAVLT in our study which also used neutral words. However, another study found no association between mindfulness and recognition, which could be because their recognition task contained negatively valenced words and it has been found that mindfulness represses one's memory of emotionally negative words …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…32 This is similar to RAVLT in our study which also used neutral words. However, another study found no association between mindfulness and recognition, 42 which could be because their recognition task contained negatively valenced words and it has been found that mindfulness represses one's memory of emotionally negative words. 43 Another possibility as to why only the recognition task reached significance might be because recall tasks require greater cognitive resources and is more challenging as compared to recognition tasks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

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Mindfulness practice alters brain connectivity in community‐living elders with mild cognitive impairment

Fam

Sun

et al. 2020

Psychiatry Clin Neurosci

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Aim There is increasing evidence that mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is associated with widespread brain dysconnectivity. Mindfulness practice, which involves focused attention to experience the present moment in a purposeful way, has been shown to confer positive psychological and functional brain changes in healthy practitioners. It is unclear whether mindfulness practice could improve functional brain connectivity in older adults with cognitive impairment. Methods Forty‐seven participants with MCI were randomized into two groups: a mindfulness practice group and a control group. Functional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and neurocognitive tests were performed before and after the 3‐month intervention. A temporal efficiency analysis approach was used to examine the spatiotemporal networks of the brain. Results Participants in the mindfulness group had significantly better temporal global efficiency than controls after 3‐months of intervention. Localized changes of temporal nodal properties were present in the right cingulate gyrus, insula, and left superior temporal gyrus. Together, these results suggest greater information transmission efficiency at both the global and local spatiotemporal level. In terms of cognitive function, verbal recognition memory improved in the mindfulness group compared to the controls. Conclusion Elders who practiced mindfulness had better brain network efficiency and neurocognitive function relative to controls in this study, suggesting that mindfulness may be of benefit to aging adults with early cognitive degeneration.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Mindfulness practice alters brain connectivity in community‐living elders with mild cognitive impairment

Fam

Sun

et al. 2020

Psychiatry Clin Neurosci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…If mindfulness meditation can induce a state where attention is more focused and centered on the task at hand, or deleterious states (e.g., anxiety, stress, negative affect) are ameliorated, this may produce task results that look like enhanced working memory capacity. In support of the effects on working memory capacity being the result of at least several days of training, Johnson et al (2015), Watier andDubois (2016), andBanks et al (2015) (Time 2) found that one session of mindfulness meditation was not enough practice to improve performance on cognitive tasks relative to control groups. This, and other research showing working memory improvement following at least several days of mindfulness training (Mrazek et al 2013;Zeidan et al 2010), are evidence against state effects and support the notion that longer durations of mindfulness training may be beneficial.…”

Section: Why Was the Paired Samples T Test Only Significant For The Mmentioning

confidence: 99%

A More Rigorous Examination of the Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Working Memory Capacity

Baranski

Was

2018

J Cogn Enhanc

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Working memory is a core cognitive system that is thought to support many forms of complex cognition. Mindfulness meditation has shown promise in improving the functioning of the working memory system, but no study has thoroughly tested its benefits by using a well-controlled study design (i.e., using multiple, valid outcome measures and an active, adaptive control group). The main goal of the current study was to more rigorously examine the effects of mindfulness meditation on working memory capacity. This was done by comparing 2 weeks of focused attention mindfulness meditation training to active, adaptive cognitive training regarding improvement on multiple, valid indicators of working memory capacity that were different from the tasks participants trained on. The results of the present experiment suggest that 2 weeks of focused attention mindfulness meditation training does not improve working memory capacity when controlling for non-specific effects. Future interventions using similar well-controlled study designs can consider using longer duration, more frequent, or alternative styles of mindfulness meditation training to potentially enhance working memory capacity.

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“…A similar study compared a 10-min mindfulness of breathing induction with an attention induction (e.g. participants imagine counting windows in their house) and an arithmetic exercise (Watier and Dubois 2016 ). The researchers found no difference in performance on EF (the emotional Stroop task) but for those with low trait mindfulness, the mindfulness induction increased executive attention compared to both comparison groups.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing for an Effect of a Mindfulness Induction on Child Executive Functions

2018

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Several sessions of mindfulness practice can exert positive gains for child executive functions (EF); however, the evidence for effects of a mindfulness induction, on EF for adults, is mixed and this effect has not been tested in children. The immediate effect of an age appropriate 3-min mindfulness induction on EF of children aged 4–7 years was tested. Participants (N = 156) were randomly assigned to a mindfulness induction or dot-to-dot activity comparison group before completing four measures of EF. A composite score for EF was calculated from summed z scores of the four EF measures. A difference at baseline in behavioural difficulties between the mindfulness induction and comparison group meant that data was analysed using a hierarchical regression. The mindfulness induction resulted in higher average performance for the composite EF score (M = 0.12) compared to the comparison group (M = − 0.05). Behavioural difficulties significantly predicted 5.3% of the variance in EF performance but participation in the mindfulness or comparison induction did not significantly affect EF. The non-significant effect of a mindfulness induction to exert immediate effects on EF fits within broader evidence reporting mixed effects when similar experimental designs have been used with adults. The findings are discussed with consideration of the extent to which methodological differences may account for these mixed effects and how mindfulness inductions fit within broader theoretical and empirical understanding of the effects of mindfulness on EF.

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The Effects of a Brief Mindfulness Exercise on Executive Attention and Recognition Memory

Cited by 38 publications

References 24 publications

Mindfulness practice alters brain connectivity in community‐living elders with mild cognitive impairment

Mindfulness practice alters brain connectivity in community‐living elders with mild cognitive impairment

A More Rigorous Examination of the Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Working Memory Capacity

Testing for an Effect of a Mindfulness Induction on Child Executive Functions

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