Meditation and attention: A comparison of the effects of concentrative and mindfulness meditation on sustained attention
Elizabeth R. Valentine, Philip L. G. Sweet
Mental Health, Religion & Culture May 1, 1999 DOI: 10.1080/13674679908406332 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Meditators and non-meditators |
| Intervention | mindfulness meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 408 |
| Key findings | Both concentrative and mindfulness meditators showed superior sustained attention compared to controls, with mindfulness meditators performing better on unexpected stimuli. |
Abstract
Abstract The performance of concentrative and mindfulness meditators on a test of sustained attention (Wilkins' counting test) was compared with controls. Both groups of meditators demonstrated superior performance on the test of sustained attention in comparison with controls, and long-term meditators were superior to short-term meditators. Mindfulness meditators showed superior performance in comparison with concentrative meditators when the stimulus was unexpected but there was no difference between the two types of meditators when the stimulus was expected. The results are discussed in relation to the attentional mechanisms involved in the two types of meditation and implications drawn for mental health.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 145
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin May 14, 2012
- A systematic review of neurobiological and clinical features of mindfulness meditations Psychological Medicine November 27, 2009
- Intensive meditation training improves perceptual discrimination and sustained attention. Psychological Science June 1, 2010
- Neural mechanisms of attentional control in mindfulness meditation Frontiers in Neuroscience 2013
and 140 more in the library
Cites 6
- Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders American Journal of Psychiatry July 1, 1992
- Influence of Transcendental Meditation upon Autokinetic Perception Perceptual and Motor Skills December 1, 1974
- AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF MEDITATION PSYCHOLOGIA 1976
- How does cognitive therapy prevent depressive relapse and why should attentional control (mindfulness) training help? Behaviour Research and Therapy 1995
- The clinical use of mindfulness meditation for the self-regulation of chronic pain. Journal of Behavioral Medicine June 1985
and 1 more in the library