Intensive meditation training improves perceptual discrimination and sustained attention.
Katherine A Maclean, Emilio Ferrer, Stephen R Aichele, David A Bridwell, Anthony P Zanesco, Tonya L Jacobs, Brandon G King, Erika L Rosenberg, Baljinder K Sahdra, Phillip R Shaver, B Alan Wallace, George R Mangun, Clifford D Saron
Psychological Science June 1, 2010 DOI: 10.1177/0956797610371339 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 60 |
| Population | Adult participants |
| Intervention | the participant's breath) |
| Duration | Approximately 5 hr/day for 3 months |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Mental training Mindfulness practice Cognitive enhancement Brain training Mental improvement Cognitive function Mental acuity Focus Vigilance Concentration Sustained attention Perception Sensory processing Visual discrimination Perceptual sensitivity |
| Citations | 625 |
| Key findings | Meditation training improved visual discrimination and vigilance during sustained attention, linked to increases in perceptual sensitivity. |
Abstract
The ability to focus one's attention underlies success in many everyday tasks, but voluntary attention cannot be sustained for extended periods of time. In the laboratory, sustained-attention failure is manifest as a decline in perceptual sensitivity with increasing time on task, known as the vigilance decrement. We investigated improvements in sustained attention with training (approximately 5 hr/day for 3 months), which consisted of meditation practice that involved sustained selective attention on a chosen stimulus (e.g., the participant's breath). Participants were randomly assigned either to receive training first (n = 30) or to serve as waiting-list controls and receive training second (n = 30). Training produced improvements in visual discrimination that were linked to increases in perceptual sensitivity and improved vigilance during sustained visual attention. Consistent with the resource model of vigilance, these results suggest that perceptual improvements can reduce the resource demand imposed by target discrimination and thus make it easier to sustain voluntary attention.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 192
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- Mindfulness Training Improves Working Memory Capacity and GRE Performance While Reducing Mind Wandering Psychological Science March 28, 2013
- Contemplating Mindfulness at Work Journal of Management November 19, 2015
- The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin May 14, 2012
and 187 more in the library
Cites 7
- Neural correlates of attentional expertise in long-term meditation practitioners Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences June 28, 2007
- Mental Training Affects Distribution of Limited Brain Resources PLoS Biology May 4, 2007
- Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. American Psychologist 2006
- Meditation and attention: A comparison of the effects of concentrative and mindfulness meditation on sustained attention Mental Health, Religion & Culture May 1, 1999
- Visual Sensitivity and Mindfulness Meditation Perceptual and Motor Skills June 1, 1984
and 2 more in the library