Cognitive Effect Following a Blended (Face to Face and Videoconference-Delivered) Format Mindfulness Training.
Grace Y. Wang, Tamasin Taylor, Alexander Sumich, Chris Krägeloh, Carol Qinglian Lee, Richard J Siegert
Frontiers in Psychology July 30, 2021 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.701459 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post intervention study with two groups and repeated baseline assessments Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 32 |
| Population | Adults participating in a videoconference-delivered mindfulness training program |
| Duration | 6-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Attention Cognitive function E-therapy Webinar |
| Key points | Following a 6-week videoconference-delivered mindfulness training program, participants showed improvement in switching of attention, working memory, executive function, and social cognition, but not in sustained attention, cognitive flexibility and inhibition, information processing, or sensory-motor function. The authors suggest that brief online mindfulness training may enhance domain-specific cognition, though some effects were not easily explained by learning or practice. |
Abstract
While evidence supports the feasibility of online mindfulness training (MT), the effect of this approach on cognition remains unclear. The present study investigated changes in cognition following a newly developed 6-week videoconference-delivered MT program on cognitive function in two groups. The first group (n = 17) had two baseline assessments prior to MT [3 weeks after group two (n = 15)] to allow for evaluation of practice and learning effects. Four participants from each group were excluded from the final analysis due to missing data. Following MT, there was an improvement in switching of attention, working memory, executive function, and social cognition, but some of these effects were not easily accounted for by learning or practice effects. No significant changes were found on tasks measuring sustained attention, cognitive flexibility and inhibition, information processing, and sensory-motor function. Our findings suggest that domain-specific cognition might be enhanced by a brief videoconference-delivered MT, and larger, controlled studies to delineate the effects of online MT on subdomains of cognition are needed.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Cognitive, psychological, and physiological effects of a web-based mindfulness intervention in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: an open study. BMC Geriatrics February 14, 2024
- Effects of Web-Based Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Anxiety, Depression, and Stress Among Frontline Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research August 29, 2023
Cites 19
- Mindfulness Training Improves Working Memory Capacity and GRE Performance While Reducing Mind Wandering Psychological Science March 28, 2013
- Inside the Mindful Mind Current Directions in Psychological Science December 1, 2013
- Neural mechanisms of attentional control in mindfulness meditation Frontiers in Neuroscience 2013
- Greater efficiency in attentional processing related to mindfulness meditation Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology September 29, 2009
- Competence in Teaching Mindfulness-Based Courses: Concepts, Development and Assessment Mindfulness September 21, 2011
and 14 more in the library