Mindfulness and Attention: Current State-of-Affairs and Future Considerations
R. Prakash, S. Fountain-Zaragoza, A. Kramer, Shaadee Samimy, J. Wegman
Journal of Cognitive Enhancement December 9, 2018 DOI: 10.1007/s41465-019-00144-5 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Randomized Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 57 |
| Population | Participants in mindfulness training studies, including retreat, non-randomized, and randomized controlled trials |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Non-randomized and retreat studies provide promising evidence of gains in alerting and conflict monitoring after mindfulness training, but randomized controlled trials, particularly those with active controls, show more mixed results. The authors argue that the field needs active comparison groups, reduced demand characteristics, detailed protocols, and validated outcome measures to disentangle placebo effects and establish mindfulness meditation as an effective cognitive rehabilitation tool. |
Abstract
This review examines longitudinal studies of changes in components of attention following mindfulness training. A total of 57 retreat studies, non-randomized trials, and randomized controlled trials were identified. Employing the classical taxonomy proposed by Posner and Petersen (Annual Review of Neuroscience, 13(1), 25–42, 1990), outcome measures were broadly categorized based on whether they involved maintenance of an aroused state (alerting), selective prioritization of attention to target items (orienting), or assessed conflict monitoring (executive attention). Although many non-randomized and retreat studies provide promising evidence of gains in both alerting and conflict monitoring following mindfulness training, evidence from randomized controlled trials, especially those involving active control comparison groups, is more mixed. This review calls attention to the urgent need in our field of contemplative sciences to adopt the methodological rigor necessary for establishing mindfulness meditation as an effective cognitive rehabilitation tool. Although studies including wait-listed control comparisons were fruitful in providing initial feasibility data and pre-post effect sizes, there is a pressing need to employ standards that have been heavily advocated for in the broader cognitive and physical training literatures. Critically, inclusion of active comparison groups and explicit attention to the reduction of demand characteristics are needed to disentangle the effects of placebo from treatment. Further, detailed protocols for mindfulness and control groups and examination of theoretically guided outcome variables with established metrics for reliability and validity are key ingredients in the systematic study of mindfulness meditation. Adoption of such methodological rigor will allow for causal claims supporting mindfulness training as an efficacious treatment modality for cognitive rehabilitation and enhancement.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 14
- Effects of web-based mindfulness training on psychological outcomes, attention, and neuroplasticity. Scientific Reports December 19, 2023
- Mindfulness Meditation and Network Neuroscience: Review, Synthesis, and Future Directions. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging April 1, 2025
- A systematic review and activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis of fMRI studies on arousing or wake-promoting effects in Buddhist meditation Frontiers in Psychology October 27, 2023
- Individual Differences in the Change of Attentional Functions With Brief One-Time Focused Attention and Open Monitoring Meditations Frontiers in Psychology October 29, 2021
- The impacts of mind-wandering on flow: Examining the critical role of physical activity and mindfulness. Frontiers in Psychology 2022
and 9 more in the library
Cites 38
- 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
- Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2003
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
- Mental Training Affects Distribution of Limited Brain Resources PLoS Biology May 4, 2007
and 33 more in the library