Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Prospective Memory Under Different Attentional Load Conditions
Tongyang Nie, Tong-Xuan Dang, Yun-Fei Guo
Applied Cognitive Psychology September 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1002/acp.70111 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Between-subjects experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 109 |
| Population | 109 participants assigned to a mindfulness meditation group or a control group |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness meditation enhanced prospective memory performance primarily by improving the prospective component, and this benefit was significant under low attentional load but not under high attentional load. The authors suggest mindfulness meditation mainly aids prospective memory when attentional demands are lower. |
Abstract
Prospective memory is the ability to execute delayed intentions at the appropriate moment. Mindfulness meditation serves as a training modality to enhance attentional control and foster a flexible, self‐regulated attentional state, which can significantly enhance prospective memory performance through refined attentional control. The study aimed to investigate the effects of mindfulness meditation on prospective memory and its underlying processing mechanisms under different attentional loads. In the present study, a total of 109 participants were enrolled in a 2 (groups: mindfulness meditation group, control group) × 2 (attentional load: low load, high load) between‐subjects design. The results indicated that mindfulness meditation enhances prospective memory performance primarily by improving the prospective component. This positive effect manifests significantly under the low attentional load condition. The findings suggest that mindfulness meditation primarily enhances prospective memory in scenarios with lower attentional demands.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cites 6
- Mindfulness meditation can improve both focal and non-focal prospective memory performance. Memory April 2025
- 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
- The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Attentional Control During Off-Season Among Football Players April 1, 2018
- Mindfulness meditation associated with alterations in bottom-up processing: psychophysiological evidence for reduced reactivity. International Journal of Psychophysiology November 2010
and 1 more in the library