Towards an Objective Measure of Mindfulness: Replicating and Extending the Features of the Breath-Counting Task.
Kian F Wong, Stijn A. A. Massar, Michael W.L. Chee, Julian Lim
Mindfulness 2018 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-017-0880-1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 127 |
| Population | Asian undergraduates |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Attentional lapses Breath counting Mind-wandering Objective measurement Trait mindfulness |
| Key findings | Breath-counting task accuracy was associated with everyday attentional lapses and sustained attention and only weakly with subjective mindfulness, with good test-retest reliability. Miscounts (unaware errors) correlated with attentional lapses, whereas resets (self-caught errors) correlated with mind-wandering. The authors propose the task as a candidate standardized objective measure of mindfulness. |
Abstract
Despite calls for objective measures of mindfulness to be adopted in the field, such practices have not yet become established. Recently, a breath-counting task (BCT) was proposed as a reliable and valid candidate for such an instrument. In this study, we show that the psychometric properties of the BCT are reproducible in a sample of 127 Asian undergraduates. Specifically, accuracy on the BCT was associated with everyday lapses and sustained attention, and weakly associated with subjectively measured mindfulness. BCT metrics also showed good test-retest reliability. Extending the use of the paradigm, we further found that two different types of task errors-miscounts and resets-were correlated with different aspects of cognition. Miscounts, or errors made without awareness, were associated with attentional lapses, whereas resets, or self-caught errors, were associated with mind-wandering. The BCT may be a suitable candidate for the standardized measurement of mindfulness that could be used in addition to mindfulness questionnaires.
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 27
- Does practice quality mediate the relationship between practice time and outcome in mindfulness-based stress reduction? Journal of Counseling Psychology July 25, 2019
- Mindfulness-based therapy improves brain functional network reconfiguration efficiency Translational Psychiatry November 11, 2023
- Neural changes in early visual processing after 6 months of mindfulness training in older adults Scientific Reports December 3, 2020
- Meditation attenuates default-mode activity: A pilot study using ultra-high field 7 Tesla MRI. Brain Research Bulletin October 15, 2023
- A Mega-Analysis of the Relationship Between Breath Counting Test Performance and Subscales of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire Mindfulness August 25, 2023
and 22 more in the library
Cites 8
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- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin May 14, 2012
- Defining mindfulness by how poorly I think I pay attention during everyday awareness and other intractable problems for psychology's (re)invention of mindfulness: Comment on Brown et al. (2011). Psychological Assessment 2011
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and 3 more in the library