Respond, don't react: The influence of mindfulness training on performance monitoring in older adults.
Colette M Smart, Sidney J. Segalowitz
Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience December 1, 2017 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-017-0539-3 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 36 |
| Population | Healthy older adults |
| Intervention | Mindfulness training |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Error-related negativity Older adults Performance monitoring Subjective cognitive decline |
| Key findings | Mindfulness training increased the error-related negativity (ERN) response in older adults compared to an active control condition, without an increase in error positivity (Pe). |
Abstract
A sizeable body of literature demonstrates positive effects of mindfulness training on brain, behavior, and psychological processes in both novice and expert practitioners as compared to non-meditators. However, only more recently has research begun to examine the specific mechanisms by which mindfulness exerts these effects. In the current study, we used event-related potentials (error-related negativity (ERN), error positivity (Pe)) to test the hypothesis that performance monitoring is one such mechanism. We conducted a randomized controlled trial in healthy older adults (n = 36), relevant because markers of performance monitoring are known to decline with normal aging. Compared to an active control condition, mindfulness participants showed an increase in the ERN, without an increase in the Pe. Participants in both groups reported a reduction in self-report of anxiety and self-judgment of one's own mental functioning, indicating the subjective impression of benefit from each intervention type. The current results are important insofar as they support the purported self-regulatory functions of mindfulness (i.e., learning to respond, not react), as well as demonstrating that such positive effects can be obtained in an older adult sample, both of which have important implications for intervention.
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 13
- A Mini-Review of Work Stress and Mindfulness: A Neuropsychological Point of View Frontiers in Psychology April 15, 2022
- Cognitive, psychological, and physiological effects of a web-based mindfulness intervention in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: an open study. BMC Geriatrics February 14, 2024
- Positive Psychology Interventions in Early-Stage Cognitive Decline Related to Dementia: A Systematic Review of Cognitive and Brain Functioning Outcomes of Mindfulness Interventions. Brain Sciences May 28, 2025
- The Effects of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Physiological Markers of Stress in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Synthesis Mindfulness December 2, 2025
- The Role of Meditation in Shaping Resilience. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences May 1, 2026
and 8 more in the library
Cites 16
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression August 21, 2006
- Attending to the present: mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience August 13, 2007
- Intensive meditation training improves perceptual discrimination and sustained attention. Psychological Science June 1, 2010
and 11 more in the library