Meditation for Increased Mindfulness and Memory: An Analysis on the Impact of Meditation on Mindfulness and Working Memory Capacity in High School Students
Rebeccah Fleischmann, Michael I Posner
Journal of Student Research November 20, 2020 DOI: 10.47611/jsrhs.v9i2.1079 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | High school students |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Duration | One week |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | A week of daily mindfulness meditation significantly increased mindfulness scores and working memory test scores in high school students compared to a running control group. |
Abstract
70% of high school students see anxiety and depression as a “major problem” among their peers (Pew Research Center). Meditation decreases anxiety and stress according to Harvard researchers. Stress and memory are very much connected as a recent study concluded that non-stressed people remember more items on average than stressed people. Although several studies have been done on the impacts of meditation, there has been no research done specifically on the impact of meditation on high school students’ working memory. This study utilized a pre-post survey design and a running control group to determine whether mindfulness and working memory capacity increased as a result of a week of daily meditation. Students were randomly assigned to the mindfulness meditation group or to the running control group. Both groups took The Human Benchmark memory test and the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (a Likert scale) before and after a week of meditation or running. The results proved to be significant, showing that mindfulness increased on average by .8 points, while the control only increased by .03 points on average. In addition, memory test scores increased by 40.3% for the meditation group compared to 8.3% for the control group.
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 3
- Effects of a Mindfulness Intervention on Nurse Burnout February 1, 2023
- Comparison between Pilates exercise and combination with transcen-dental meditation towards short-term memory among adult females JKKI August 3, 2024
- The Effects of Meditation on Test Anxiety Levels Among High School Students Journal of Student Research November 30, 2023
Cites 19
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2003
- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Neuroreport November 7, 2005
- Mindfulness Training Improves Working Memory Capacity and GRE Performance While Reducing Mind Wandering Psychological Science March 28, 2013
- The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin May 14, 2012
and 14 more in the library