Beyond reflective verbal self-reports: Development and validation of the Meditation Pictographic Inventory (MPI) through a multi-source framework
PsyArXiv Preprints October 22, 2026 preprint DOI: osf:4xez7_v2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial with qualitative item development phase Preregistered |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 378 |
| Population | Adults from the general population; 10 meditation experts in the qualitative development phase |
| Intervention | Active control |
| Duration | Brief meditation practices; test-retest and pre-/post-meditation assessments (duration not stated) |
| Measures | Meditation Pictographic Inventory (MPI) |
| Topics | Altered states of consciousness Meditation Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Network psychometrics Pictographic assessment Psychometric validation Self-related processes Quantitative methods Testing and assessment Clinical psychology |
| Key findings | Nine of the 23 MPI items were sensitive to meditation effects, including general effects (e.g., body boundaries) and practice-specific effects (e.g., warmth after loving-kindness). Items clustered into positive, negative, and heterogeneous experiences with a moderately stable structure and no detectable structural change from pre- to post-meditation. Items correlated with related self-reports and predicted post-meditation outcomes but not beyond baseline; single-item reliability was modest, with positive and negative cluster scores showing adequate generalizability. |
Abstract
Single-item measures are increasingly used to capture constructs that are impractical to assess with multi-item scales, yet their reliability is difficult to estimate and validity evidence is rarely combined across sources. Meditation-related states, which are embodied and often hard to verbalize, illustrate this challenge. The aim of this study is to present a multi-source framework and apply it for developing and validating a Meditation Pictographic Inventory (MPI), a 23-item inventory of single-item measures to assess meditation-related states. The study followed two phases. Phase 1 aimed to develop and refine the pictographic items through qualitative interviews with 10 meditation experts. Phase 2 aimed to validate the MPI. Adults (N = 378) from the general population were randomized to one of four conditions: three brief meditation practices (counting breath, loving-kindness, decentering) or an active control. Validity evidence covered content, response processes, sensitivity to change, relations with other variables, incremental prediction, and internal structure via network analysis at pre- and post-meditation. Reliability was examined through test-retest, criterion-based, and generalizability analyses. Results showed that MPI items clustered into positive, negative, and heterogeneous experiences, with a moderately stable structure and no detectable structural change from pre- to post-meditation. However, nine items were sensitive to meditation effects, including both general (e.g., body boundaries) and practice-specific effects (e.g., warmth after loving-kindness). Items correlated with related self-reports as expected and predicted post-meditation outcomes, but not beyond baseline levels. Single-item reliability was modest. Positive and negative cluster scores showed adequate generalizability, whereas time- and self-related items require further revision. The study was preregistered, the MPI and all materials are openly available, and the framework offers a template for validating other single item inventories.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |