Mindfulness meditation can improve time-based prospective memory performance in restricted monitoring situation.
Mingyuan Wang, Yunfei Guo
Consciousness and Cognition 2026 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2025.103975 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 95 |
| Population | Undergraduate students |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Attention Mindfulness meditation Restricted monitoring Time monitoring Time-based prospective memory |
| Key findings | Mindfulness meditation improved TBPM accuracy compared to a control group, but only under restricted time-monitoring conditions. |
Abstract
The successful execution of time-based prospective memory (TBPM) tasks demands self-initiation attentional resources. Mindfulness meditation can enhance attention, which may promote TBPM performance. This study investigates whether mindfulness meditation can facilitate TBPM via the improvement of attentional resources and whether such facilitation is modulated by time-monitoring conditions. The experiment, conducted with 95 participants, used a 2 (group: mindfulness meditation group, control group) × 2 (monitoring condition: limited, sufficient) between-subjects design. All 95 participants in this study were undergraduate students who volunteered. The results showed that, in the restricted condition, the TBPM accuracy of the mindfulness meditation group was better than that of the control group, indicating that mindfulness meditation indeed improves TBPM performance, but the facilitation of TBPM by mindfulness meditation is particularly susceptible to the influence of time-monitoring conditions.
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
Cites 8
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
- Meditative and non-meditative mindfulness-based interventions for mind and body. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies July 15, 2023
- The effect of brief mindfulness training on the micro-structure of human free-operant responding: Mindfulness affects stimulus-driven responding. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry December 1, 2022
- Mindfulness Meditation Improves Visual Short-Term Memory Psychological Reports May 25, 2020
- The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Attentional Control During Off-Season Among Football Players April 1, 2018
and 3 more in the library