Mindfulness meditation can improve both focal and non-focal prospective memory performance.
Tongyang Nie, Minghui Wang, Yunfei Guo
Memory April 2025 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2025.2458300 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 81 |
| Population | Participants assigned to focused attention meditation, open monitoring meditation, or a control group |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Prospective memory Attention monitoring Cue focality Focused attention meditation Open monitoring meditation |
| Key findings | Focused attention and open monitoring meditation did not differ in their facilitative effects on prospective memory with focal or non-focal cues; both types of meditation improved prospective memory performance by enhancing cue monitoring. The authors state these results confirm preparatory attention processing and memory processing theory. |
Abstract
Prospective memory (PM) is the ability to remember a delayed intention to perform in a specific future situation. According to the extent to which PM cues overlap with ongoing task processing, PM can be divided into focal PM and non-focal PM. Mindfulness meditation includes focused attention (FA) meditation and open monitoring (OM) meditation. The present study was conducted with 81 participants, using a 3 (group: FA, OM, control group) × 2 (focality: focal, non-focal) design to investigate the effects of FA meditation and OM meditation on PM with focal and non-focal cues. The results showed that there was no difference in the facilitative effects of FA and OM on PM with focal and non-focal cues. Meanwhile, both types of mindfulness meditation improved PM performance by enhancing cue monitoring. The results of this study confirmed the views of preparatory attention processing and memory processing theory. This study has been registered and the registration number is ChiCTR2400094091.
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 2
- Effects of Mindfulness Therapy on Stress and Mindfulness Levels in Nursing Students: A Network Meta‐Analysis International Journal of Nursing Practice February 1, 2026
- Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Prospective Memory Under Different Attentional Load Conditions Applied Cognitive Psychology September 1, 2025
Cites 12
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- Comparing impacts of meditation training in focused attention, open monitoring, and mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy on emotion reactivity and regulation: Neural and subjective evidence from a dismantling study Psychophysiology February 19, 2022
- 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
and 7 more in the library