Abstract
Mindfulness practice has been linked to reduced depressive rumination and described as involving inhibition of information that has been relevant in the past and is no longer relevant in the present moment. Backward inhibition (BI) is considered to be one of the purest measures of task set inhibition, and impaired BI has been linked to depressive rumination. BI was contrasted with Competitor Rule Suppression (CRS), which is another phenomenon observed in task switching, yet one which involves episodic memory tagging of information that is currently conflicting rather than active inhibition. Although similar at baseline level, a randomly assigned group (n = 38) who underwent an eight session mindfulness training program exhibited improved BI but not CRS compared to a waiting list group (n = 38). Findings indicate that mindfulness improves the specific component of task set inhibition, which has previously been linked to reduced rumination. Implications regarding the potential role of task set inhibition in mediating between mindfulness and reduced rumination, as well as the role of mindfulness in “being in the present moment” are discussed.
Highlights
In a changing environment, the ability to inhibit thoughts and actions which are no longer relevant is crucial for our everyday functioning and well being
“VERTICAL BOXES” PARADIGM (PRE-TRAINING) A three way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted, with Group, Backward inhibition (BI) (i.e., DBA and CBA vs. ABA trials), and Competitor Rule Suppression (CRS) as the independent variables, and RT as the dependent variable
Planned comparisons indicate that participants who were later assigned to the mindfulness group exhibited a non-significant trend of a greater BI effect in the non-CRS condition [F (1, 74) = 2.33, ns], whereas those later assigned to the waiting list group exhibited a similar trend in the CRS condition [F (1, 74) = 3.03, ns]
Summary
The ability to inhibit thoughts and actions which are no longer relevant is crucial for our everyday functioning and well being. Various definitions and conceptualizations have been proposed for mindfulness (see Chambers et al, 2009; Chiesa and Malinowski, 2011; Chiesa and Serretti, 2011; Grossman and Van Dam, 2011, for discussion), there is relative agreement that mindfulness involves both self regulation of attention to the present moment, and an orientation of openness and acceptance toward it. Such attendance to the present moment seems likely to involve inhibition of past thoughts and representations (Bishop et al, 2004)
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