Mindfulness
Conditions
Brief summary
The proposed study will assess the effects of mindfulness meditation training on an eye blink conditioning (EBC) task in a sample of novice meditators. This methodology will allow investigation of whether mindfulness interrupts classical conditioning through the process of de-automatization. Implicit learning rates, as reflective of unconscious habit formation and measured by the frequency of conditioned responses during the EBC, will be a main outcome of interest. The proposed study will also assess the effects of mindfulness meditation training on an emotion regulation (ER) task, with a specific focus on reappraisal of negative images and savoring of positive images.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALMindfulness Meditation Training
A researcher will guide participants through 5 mindfulness meditations, each lasting 11 minutes in length.
BEHAVIORALActive Listening
A researcher will read participants 5 selections from The Natural History of Selborne, each lasting 11 minutes in length.
Sponsors
University of Utah
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
FACTORIAL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
1. Age 18-60, 2. willingness to participate in study interventions and assessments.
Exclusion criteria
1. Prior experience with Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, or Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention, or a history of meditation practice, 2. Learning disability, significant memory problems or significant attentional disruptions as determined by self-report, 3. History of head injury resulting in loss of consciousness.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Conditioned Eyeblink Frequency | 9 minutes | Between group differences in the frequency of conditioned eyeblinks over the six reinforcement blocks. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Positive Emotion Regulation Task | 5 minutes | Between group differences in affective change occasioned by savoring positive images will be measured by comparing increases in self-reported positive affect (5-point Likert scale) from pre- to post- positive image, viewing block. |
| Negative Emotion Regulation Task | 5 minutes | Between group differences in affective change occasioned by positively reappraising negative images will be measured by comparing increases in self-reported negative affect (5-point Likert scale) from pre- to post- negative image, viewing block. |
| Self-Transcendence (NADA-State) | 2 minutes | Between group differences in the degree to which mindfulness training alters participants' sense of self as measured by the nondaul awareness dimension assessment's (NADA) state form. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed