Time perception and the experience of agency in meditation and hypnosis
PsyArXiv October 3, 2018 preprint DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/mh7et (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review |
|---|---|
| Measures | Libet's 'W' judgements, intentional binding |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Proposes that mindfulness meditators and highly hypnotisable people may lie at opposite ends of a spectrum in metacognitive access to intention-related information, based on the "cold control theory" that hypnotic responding involves inaccurate metacognition about intentional action while mindfulness improves such access. The authors review chronometric measures of awareness of voluntary action, Libet's 'W' judgements and "intentional binding," and critically evaluate their proposed link to volition and sense of agency. |
Abstract
Mindfulness meditation and hypnosis are related in opposing ways to awareness of intentions. The cold control theory of hypnosis proposes that hypnotic responding involves the experience of involuntariness while performing an actually intentional action. Hypnosis therefore relies upon inaccurate metacognition about intentional actions and experiences. Mindfulness meditation centrally involves awareness of intentions and is associated with improved metacognitive access to intentions. Therefore, mindfulness meditators and highly hypnotisable people may lie at opposite ends of a spectrum with regard to metacognitive access to intention-related information. Here we review the theoretical background and evidence for differences in the metacognition of intentions in these groups, as revealed by chronometric measures of the awareness of voluntary action: the timing of an intention to move (Libet’s ‘W’ judgements) and the compressed perception of time between an intentional action and its outcome (‘intentional binding’). We review these measures and critically evaluate their proposed connection to the experience of volition and sense of agency.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |