Self-judgment Dissected: A Computational Modeling Analysis of Self-Referential Processing and its Relationship to Trait Mindfulness Facets and Depression Symptoms
Peter F Hitchcock, Willoughby B. Britton, Kahini Mehta, M. Frank
Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience September 27, 2022 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-022-01033-9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort with pre-post intervention Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 96 |
| Population | Adults participating in an 8-week mindfulness intervention |
| Intervention | Mindfulness intervention |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Depression Meditation |
| Key findings | Positive relative to negative self-referential judgment strength positively related to mindful awareness and inversely related to depression at baseline and over time. |
Abstract
Cognitive theories of depression, and mindfulness theories of well-being, converge on the notion that self-judgment plays a critical role in mental health. However, these theories have rarely been tested via tasks and computational modeling analyses that can disentangle the information processes operative in self-judgments. We applied a drift-diffusion computational model to the self-referential encoding task (SRET) collected before and after an 8-week mindfulness intervention ( n = 96). A drift-rate regression parameter representing positive—relative to negative—self-referential judgment strength positively related to mindful awareness and inversely related to depression, both at baseline and over time; however, this parameter did not significantly relate to the interaction between mindful awareness and nonjudgmentalness. At the level of individual depression symptoms, at baseline, a spectrum of symptoms (inversely) correlated with the drift-rate regression parameter, suggesting that many distinct depression symptoms relate to valenced self-judgment between subjects. By contrast, over the intervention, changes in only a smaller subset of anhedonia-related depression symptoms showed substantial relationships with this parameter. Both behavioral and model-derived measures showed modest split-half and test-retest correlations. Results support cognitive theories that implicate self-judgment in depression and mindfulness theories, which imply that mindful awareness should lead to more positive self-views.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on depression, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- The paradox of the self-studying brain. Physics of Life Reviews March 1, 2025
- Neural correlates of reduction in self-judgment after mindful self-compassion training: A pilot study with resting state fMRI. Journal of Mood and Anxiety Disorders March 1, 2025
- Brief mindfulness-based meditation enhances the speed of learning following positive prediction errors Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology January 17, 2024
- Brief mindfulness meditation increases risk-taking behavior. Scientific Reports January 30, 2026
- Combining Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy With Escitalopram for Cognitive and Emotional Recovery in Older Adults With Treatment-Resistant Depression. Journal of Clinical Psychology August 1, 2026
and 2 more in the library
Cites 18
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- Differential Item Functioning on the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire Is Minimal in Demographically Matched Meditators and Nonmeditators Assessment December 30, 2010
and 13 more in the library