Does Mindfulness Enhance Critical Thinking? Evidence for the Mediating Effects of Executive Functioning in the Relationship between Mindfulness and Critical Thinking.
Chris Noone, Brendan Bunting, Michael Hogan
Frontiers in Psychology January 19, 2016 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.02043 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 178 |
| Population | University students |
| Measures | Five Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire (observing and non-reactivity subscales), Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment, battery of executive functioning tasks |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Self-regulation Critical thinking Higher-order cognition Dual-process theory Dispositional mindfulness |
| Key findings | Inhibition mediated the relationship between both the observing and non-reactivity facets of dispositional mindfulness and critical thinking performance, but through different patterns: full mediation for observing and competitive mediation for non-reactivity. The authors suggest that additional unmeasured mediators with a negative effect on critical thinking may also be involved in the non-reactivity pathway. |
Abstract
Mindfulness originated in the Buddhist tradition as a way of cultivating clarity of thought. Despite the fact that this behavior is best captured using critical thinking (CT) assessments, no studies have examined the effects of mindfulness on CT or the mechanisms underlying any such possible relationship. Even so, mindfulness has been suggested as being beneficial for CT in higher education. CT is recognized as an important higher-order cognitive process which involves the ability to analyze and evaluate evidence and arguments. Such non-automatic, reflective responses generally require the engagement of executive functioning (EF) which includes updating, inhibition, and shifting of representations in working memory. Based on research showing that mindfulness enhances aspects of EF and certain higher-order cognitive processes, we hypothesized that individuals higher in facets of dispositional mindfulness would demonstrate greater CT performance, and that this relationship would be mediated by EF. Cross-sectional assessment of these constructs in a sample of 178 university students was achieved using the observing and non-reactivity sub-scales of the Five Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire, a battery of EF tasks and the Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment. Our hypotheses were tested by constructing a multiple meditation model which was analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. Evidence was found for inhibition mediating the relationships between both observing and non-reactivity and CT in different ways. Indirect-only (or full) mediation was demonstrated for the relationship between observing, inhibition, and CT. Competitive mediation was demonstrated for the relationship between non-reactivity, inhibition, and CT. This suggests additional mediators of the relationship between non-reactivity and CT which are not accounted for in this model and have a negative effect on CT in addition to the positive effect mediated by inhibition. These findings are discussed in the context of the Default Interventionist Dual Process Theory of Higher-order Cognition and previous studies on mindfulness, self-regulation, EF, and higher-order cognition. In summary, dispositional mindfulness appears to facilitate CT performance and this effect is mediated by the inhibition component of EF. However, this relationship is not straightforward which suggests many possibilities for future research.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cited by 13
- The Effect of Mindfulness Training on Proactive and Reactive Cognitive Control Frontiers in Psychology June 20, 2018
- Dynamics of the Sphere Model of Consciousness: Silence, Space, and Self. Frontiers in Psychology 2020
- Meditation, Mindfulness, and Critical Thinking: Individual Characteristics in Online Higher Education. Journal of Psychology and Cognition 2017
- Does mindfulness training modulate the influence of spatial attention on the processing of intracutaneous electrical stimuli? PLoS One August 9, 2018
- The Effects of Mindfulness‐Based Intervention on Cognitive Functions in Tertiary Students: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis Applied Cognitive Psychology May 1, 2025
and 8 more in the library
Cites 30
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2003
- Mindfulness Training Improves Working Memory Capacity and GRE Performance While Reducing Mind Wandering Psychological Science March 28, 2013
- Conceptual and methodological issues in research on mindfulness and meditation. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
and 25 more in the library