The development of a tool to identify skilled meditators among meditation practitioners - ‘The University of Colombo Intake Interview to identify Skilled Meditators for scientific research (UoC-IISM)’
Journal of the College of Community Physicians January 8, 2024 N. O. Outschoorn, E. A. S. K. Somarathne, N. N. Dasanayaka et al.
A new instrument, the UoC-IISM, was developed to identify skilled meditators for scientific research in Sri Lanka. The tool includes 25 Likert-scale items across five sections measuring six factors: duration and details of meditation practice, peripheral awareness, stable attention, alertness, and emotional stability, plus three qualitative items. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a two-factor structure. Cut-off scores were set to classify meditators as skilled: Section C1 above 7, Section C2 above 14, and Section D above 25. The instrument is presented as a valid and reliable method for selecting skilled meditators in meditation research.