Mindful non-reactivity is associated with improved accuracy in attentional blink testing: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Practitioners with years of mindfulness training (MT) have a reduced attentional blink (AB), relative to novices and non-practitioners. There is still a lack of evidence regarding the impact of relatively short-term intensive traditional MT on AB. Moreover, it is unknown which component(s) of mindfulness underlie mindfulness-associated reductions in AB. Eighty-nine Chinese subjects were randomized into a MT group (N = 44) and a control (CON) group (N = 45). The participants in the CON group were waitlisted for the opportunity to participate in the training program during the 8 weeks that the MT group underwent training. Before (pretest) and after (posttest) the MT program, the subjects completed the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Peace-of-mind questionnaire (POM), and an AB task. Ultimately, 73 participants (MT group/CON group: 35/38) completed the study. From the pretest to the posttest, the MT group exhibited increases in FFMQ scores (total scores, observing subscores, and non-reactivity subscores) and POM scores, as well as improved accuracy in the AB task and a reduction in the lag-1 sparing effect. Increases in T2 accuracy in the AB correlated with improved non-reactivity. These findings broaden our understanding of the association between mindfulness and AB, and support the supposition that the skill of mindful non-reactivity plays an important role in reducing AB.