Research SquareApril 1, 2026Simay Selek, Russell W Chan, Funda Yildirim
preprint
Abstract Meditation is increasingly recognized as a structured form of mental training that can induce plastic changes in neural systems supporting attention, cognitive control, and affect regulation. Although prior work links meditation to improved executive functioning, few studies have examined attentional performance under simultaneous cognitive conflict and emotional distraction. This...
Motor sequence learning is considered the result of the outflow of information following cognitive control processes that are shared by other goal-directed behaviours. Emerging evidence suggests that focused-attention meditation (FAM) establishes states of enhanced cognitive control, that then exert top-down control biases in subsequent unrelated tasks. With respect to sequence learning, a...
Cognitive control processes influence how motor sequence information is utilised and represented. Since cognitive control processes are shared amongst goal-oriented tasks, motor sequence learning and performance might be influenced by preceding cognitive tasks such as focused-attention meditation (FAM). Prior to a serial reaction time task (SRTT), participants completed either a single-session...