Dispositional Mindfulness and Attentional Control: The Specific Association Between the Mindfulness Facets of Non-judgment and Describing With Flexibility of Early Operating Orienting in Conflict Detection.
Lin Sørensen, Berge Osnes, Endre Visted, Julie Lillebostad Svendsen, Steinunn Adolfsdottir, Per-Einar Binder, Elisabeth Schanche
Frontiers in Psychology 2018 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02359 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 50 |
| Population | Adults between 19 and 29 years old |
| Measures | Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), revised version of the Attention Network Test (ANT-R) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Attention networks |
| Key findings | Higher dispositional mindfulness, measured by the five FFMQ facets, predicted faster reaction times on the orienting-by-conflict-detection interaction score of the ANT-R, but did not predict alerting, orienting, or conflict detection scores individually. The Describing and Non-Judgment facets specifically predicted this lower interaction score. The authors suggest mindfulness is associated with more flexible orienting attention and a greater ability to disengage from salient irrelevant stimuli. |
Abstract
Background: A state of mindfulness refers to a present-centered attentional awareness without judging. Being mindful seems to increase the ability to be flexible and adaptive in attention focus according to situational contingencies. The way mindfulness affects such attentional control is often measured with three different but interacting attentional networks of alerting (preparedness), orienting (selection of stimulus), and conflict detection (suppression of irrelevant stimuli). In the current study, the aim was to study the effects of dispositional mindfulness on these attention networks, and specifically the effects on the interactions between these attention networks.
Methods: Fifty participants between 19 and 29 years old filled out the questionnaire Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and performed the revised version of the Attention Network Test (ANT-R). The five FFMQ facets of Describing, Non-Judgment, Orienting, Non-Reactivity, and Acting with Awareness were included as predictors in multiple linear regression analyses with the ANT-R scores of alerting, orienting, conflict detection, and the interaction scores of alerting by conflict detection and orienting by conflict detection as outcome variables, respectively.
Results: Higher dispositional mindfulness as measured with the five FFMQ facets predicted interaction scores (faster reaction times) of orienting by conflict detection, but none of the other ANT-R scores. It was specifically the FFMQ facets of Describing and non-judgment that predicted this lower interaction score of orienting by conflict detection.
Conclusion: Our findings indicate that being mindful is associated with a more flexible and efficient orienting attention. It is associated with a higher ability to disengage from salient stimuli that is irrelevant to pursue goal-directed behavior (conflict detection).
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- Heartfulness Meditation: A Yogic and Neuroscientific Perspective Frontiers in Psychology May 10, 2022
- The impact of brief mindfulness meditation on anxiety, cognitive load, and teamwork in emergency simulation training: A randomized controlled trial. Nurse Education Today 2024
- Individual Differences in the Change of Attentional Functions With Brief One-Time Focused Attention and Open Monitoring Meditations Frontiers in Psychology October 29, 2021
- Effect of Heartfulness Meditation on Stress Biomarkers, Burnout and Well-Being: A Randomized Controlled Study. Stress and Health April 1, 2025
- Turning the tide: A randomized controlled trial of a brief digital mindfulness intervention to reduce immediate and delayed negative interpretation bias. Journal of Affective Disorders October 21, 2025
and 5 more in the library
Cites 22
- 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: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
and 17 more in the library