Shinshu Mindful Study: Can 8-weeks of mindfulness training change the retrieval mode of autobiographical memory?
Noboru Matsumoto, Masahiro Fujino, Hana Sekine, Eri Yoshida, Lynn Ann Watson, Aleksandra Eriksen Isham, Krystian Barzykowski
May 15, 2025 preprint DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/kg5s9_v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 56 |
| Population | Adults completing an 8-week mindfulness training or waitlist control |
| Intervention | Mindfulness training |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness training was associated with decreased perceived retrieval suddenness and increased perceived retrieval effort in involuntary memories, and increased subjective generative retrieval in voluntary memories. Retrieval latency, frequency, and memory specificity did not change, and changes in interoception did not predict retrieval-mode changes. The authors suggest the effects may be supported by meta-awareness rather than interoceptive processing. |
Abstract
Researchers have suggested that interoception can trigger autobiographical memory retrieval or affect the subjective sense of retrieval mode (e.g., involuntary or voluntary). This study examined whether 8-week mindfulness training aimed at improving interoceptive processing can alter autobiographical memory retrieval and perceived retrieval mode. Participants in the mindfulness group (n = 26) and waitlist control group (n = 30) completed the study. Participants in the mindfulness group showed a decrease in perceived retrieval suddenness and an increase in perceived retrieval effort in involuntary memories, and an increase in subjective sense of generative retrieval in voluntary memories. Retrieval latency, frequency, and memory specificity did not change with training. Changes in subjective and objective measures of interoception did not predict changes in these retrieval mode related variables. The results suggest that mindfulness training leads to more deliberate and effortful memory retrieval, which may be supported by changes in meta-awareness, rather than interoceptive processing.
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 |