AICE Psych: Holzel et al. (Mindfullness and Brain scans)

Outline the aim(s) of the study.

To identify if regular participation in Mindfulness-based stress reduction leads to measurable neurological changes, which may be associated with trait changes related to mindfulness practices.

Describe the research method and design used.

Experiment with a Longitudinal study: Focused on a group of participants over the course of an extended period of time.

Independent Measures: The IV was just participation in the MBSR technique; participants only had to experience this condition

Outline the main features of the sample, and sampling technique.

Technique, NOT A FEATURE: Opportunity sampling

• 33 total participants - all right handed

• 16 total in the experimental group (6 males, 10 females)

• 17 total in the control group (11 males, 6 females)

Experimental group:

• Mean age of 38 years

• 13 Caucasian, 1 Asian, 1 African American, 1 Multi-ethnic

• Mean education years = 17.7 years

Control group:

• Mean age of 39 years

• 13 caucasian

Identify and operationalize the independent and dependent variables.

IV 1: Participation in the MBSR course

• Amount of time spent doing the body scan, mindful yoga, and meditation practices each day across 8 weeks

DV 1: changes in brain structure

• changes in grey matter size of the hippocampus, insula, and whole brain from MRI scans before and after the course.

DV 2: changes in mindfulness

• differences in the mindfulness scores of the five-facet mindfulness questionnaire (FFMQ)

Control: non participation in the MBSR program

Identify controls put in place by the researchers.

• Participants had to have been physically and psychologically healthy

• Participants could not be taking any medication to reduce stress/ in general

  • Reduced the possibility of less stress/being more mindful due to medication and not the program

• No meditation courses in the past 6 months, and no more than 4 courses in the past 5 years.

• All participants were right-handed

• No contraindications for MRI scans.

Outline the procedure before the MBSR sessions.

2 weeks prior: Participants went through an MRI scan to analyze their current brain matter

• 3D digital models were created by taking 128 sagittal slices of the brain and comparing them by using computer software

• All participants completed the FFMQ (Five-facet mindfulness questionnaire) to measure current mindfulness

Describe the FFMQ used in the study.

A 39-item scale to measure five factors of mindfulness:

• Observing (attending to or noticing internal and external stimuli)

• Describing (noting or mentally labeling stimuli with words)

• Acting with Awareness (attending to one’s current actions, as opposed to being absent-minded)

• non-judging of inner experience (refraining from evaluation of one’s sensations, cognitions, and emotions)

• non-reactivity to inner experience (allowing thoughts and feelings to come and go)

Reponses used a 5-point likert-type scale: 1 = never/rarely true, 5 = very often or always true

Outline the procedure while the MBSR courses were being taken.

The course was completed as an 8-week-long course, taking place at the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

• Participants in the experimental group were given a 45-minute audio recording of guided mindfulness exercises to complete at home

  • Exercises: Body scan, mindfulness yoga, meditation, and everyday mindfulness practices (washing up, cleaning, taking showers).

Outline the procedure after the MBSR sessions completed.

MRI brain scans were obtained from the participants 2 weeks after the last MBSR session, including the control group. All participants retook the FFMQ.

• Each participant was compared to measure differences in grey matter concentration and mindfulness based on the FFMQ

Outline the result(s) for mindfulness in participants.

Participants in the MBSR group (experimental group) significantly increased their mindfulness scores on 3 to 5 sub-scales (acting with awareness, observing, and non-judging) between the pre- and post-questionnaires compared to the control group.

Outline the result(s) for grey matter concentration in participants.

The MBSR group experienced significant increases in grey matter concentration of their left hippocampus, posterior cingulate cortex, tempoparietal junction, and two parts of the cerebrum compared to the control group.

• There were no differences in the pre-MRI scans between the experimental and control groups at the beginning of the study.

Outline the conclusion(s) of the study.

Structural changes in key brain regions, including the hippocampus, posterior cingulate cortex, temporal parietal junction, and cerebellum, can occur due to regular mindfulness practice, even after just 8 weeks.

• The regions that saw structural changes are involved in processes associated with memory, emotional regulation, and perspective taking, suggesting these areas are central to improvements in well-being observed in people who make mindfulness a part of their daily lives

Evaluate the study in terms of generalizability.

Low:

• Small sample size; 33 total participants

• All adults; ages ranged from 25 to 55 years old

• High education levels; averaged 17.7 years of educations

Why does this matter:

The results may not generalize to people with lower education levels and access to resources available in the area where the sample was selected, as well as children.

Evaluate the study in terms of reliability.

Low:

• Procedure cannot be truly standardized; participants were responsible for completing the MBSR sessions and activities on their own time at their own home.

Why does this matter:

Not every participant went through the same procedure; this limits the replicability of the study’s procedure.

Evaluate the study in terms of validity.

IV: High

• Controls limited extraneous variables; participation in prior meditation practices was kept out to limit the possibility of results being from previous sessions, rather than the ones in the study

EV: High

• The course was taken on the participant’s own time and in their own environemnt; it was completed in their real-life scenario

Evaluate the ethics of this study.

• Collected informed consent

• Some participants left due to discomfort with the MRI (shows they had the right to withdraw)

• Psychologically/physically protected

• Confidentiality and privacy were maintained

Assess how the findings of Holzel et al. could be applied to the real-world.

Encourage basic mindfulness/meditation practices in schools and therapies to individuals to help reduce stress levels in everyday life.

Identify and define the psychology being investigated.

Mindfulness: a state achieved through meditation that aims to increase awareness of the present-moment experience and enable a person to be able to see themselves in a compassionate, non-judgemental way.

Define localisation of function.

The way particular brain areas are responsible for different actions

• ex: hippocampus: responsible for learning and memory processes, and modulation of emotional control