Mindfulness Courses Training Promotes Preschool Children’s Ability to Recognize Facial Expressions of Emotion: The Mediating Role of Attentional Stability
Hanyun Zhang, Yan-Lan Li, Yunwei Zhang, Jing-Jing Guo
Basic and Applied Social Psychology May 22, 2026 DOI: 10.1080/01973533.2026.2666504 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial with a cross-sectional analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Preschoolers |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based curriculum |
| Duration | 4-month intervention; assessments before, immediately after, and three months post-training |
| Measures | standardized facial recognition tasks, cancelation tasks |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Education |
| Key findings | A 4-month mindfulness-based curriculum significantly improved preschoolers' emotion recognition and attentional stability compared with regular classroom activities. Increases in mindfulness predicted long-term gains in facial expression recognition, and changes in attentional stability fully mediated this relationship, suggesting attention as a mechanism. |
Abstract
Abstract Children’s ability to recognize facial expressions plays a critical role in their emotional understanding and cognitive development. Previous research suggests that mindfulness training can effectively enhance children’s facial expression recognition, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, and evidence from real-world educational settings is limited. This study first conducted a cross-sectional analysis to examine the relationship between mindfulness and emotion recognition in preschoolers, with attention level tested as a mediator. A randomized controlled trial was then implemented: the intervention group received a 4-month mindfulness-based curriculum, while the control group engaged in regular non-mindfulness classroom activities. Children’s facial expression recognition and attentional stability were assessed before the intervention, immediately after, and three months post-training using standardized facial recognition and cancelation tasks. Results showed that mindfulness training significantly improved both emotion recognition and attentional stability. Moreover, increases in mindfulness predicted long-term gains in facial expression recognition, with changes in attentional stability fully mediating this relationship. These findings suggest that integrating mindfulness into early childhood education may be helpful for enhancing attentional stability and emotional perception, offering valuable insights for promoting young children’s emotional and social development.
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 |
Citations in the library
Cites 6
- Research Review: The effects of mindfulness‐based interventions on cognition and mental health in children and adolescents – a meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry October 22, 2018
- Mindfulness training modifies attentional bias to facial emotion and emotional symptoms. Journal of Psychiatric Research November 1, 2023
- Mindfulness-Training in Preadolescents in School: The Role of Emotionality, EEG in Theta/Beta Bands, Creativity and Attention. Child Psychiatry and Human Development August 2023
- The effect of mindfulness training on resting-state networks in pre-adolescent children with sub-clinical anxiety related attention impairments. Brain Imaging and Behavior May 18, 2022
- Interoceptive Awareness Skills for Emotion Regulation: Theory and Approach of Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy (MABT). Frontiers in Psychology 2018
and 1 more in the library