Psychophysiological Responsiveness to Auditory Stimulation during Transcendental Meditation
Psychophysiology 1986 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1986.tb00597.x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 34 |
| Population | 17 TM meditators and 17 controls |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | No significant differences between meditators and controls in habituation of alpha blocking or skin conductance response to tones, but controls showed more labile and accelerative cardiac responses. |
Abstract
ABSTRACTThe Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique has been reported to produce cortical states of both steady responsiveness and lack of responsiveness to external stimulation during meditation. The present study examined alpha blocking, skin conductance, and phasic heart rate response to 80dB tones in 17 TM meditators and 17 controls. There were no significant differences between groups in rate of habituation of alpha blocking or skin conductance response, and neither group showed habituation of heart rate responding. Controls displayed a more labile and accelerative cardiac response. Results suggest the possible usefulness of cardiac waveform activity in the study of meditation.