Abstract
Several studies in mindfulness and meditation research have used the Attentional Network Task (ANT) to assess changes in the efficiency of attentional networks. The approaches used for mental training, the experimental designs, and the results in such studies are however heterogeneous, and in most cases, do not involve an assessment of dispositional mindfulness in its different facets. In this article, we originally report a study in which performances in the Attention Network Test Interactions (ANTI), a revised version of the ANT, are predicted by dispositional mindfulness facets (assessed through the five facets mindfulness questionnaire) in a population naïve to meditation. Regression analyses revealed that the mindfulness facets observe and acting with awareness were effective predictors of the efficiency of the three assessed attentional networks. Specifically, we found that observe scores predicted higher alerting scores. We also found that a higher acting with awareness score predicted slower response times when the executive control system was involved. Our results thus appear to contrast with other studies finding faster response times with mindfulness meditation training. More generally, our findings suggest that a higher dispositional mindfulness does not necessarily implicate an increased attentional efficiency in terms of response times.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ainsworth, B., Eddershaw, R., Meron, D., Baldwin, D. S., & Garner, M. (2013). The effect of focused attention and open monitoring meditation on attention network function in healthy volunteers. Psychiatry Research, 210(3), 1226–1231.
Baer, R. A. (2003). Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: a conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2), 125–143.
Baer, R. A., Smith, G. T., & Allen, K. B. (2004). Assessment of mindfulness by self-report the Kentucky inventory of mindfulness skills. Assessment, 11(3), 191–206.
Baer, R. A., Smith, G. T., Hopkins, J., Krietemeyer, J., & Toney, L. (2006). Using self-report assessment methods to explore facets of mindfulness. Assessment, 13(1), 27–45.
Baijal, S., Jha, A. P., Kiyonaga, A., Singh, R., & Srinivasan, N. (2011). The influence of concentrative meditation training on the development of attention networks during early adolescence. Frontiers in Psychology, 2, 153. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00153.
Bergomi, C., Tschacher, W., & Kupper, Z. (2013). The assessment of mindfulness with self-report measures: existing scales and open issues. Mindfulness, 4(3), 191–202.
Bressler, S. L., & Menon, V. (2010). Large-scale brain networks in cognition: emerging methods and principles. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 14(6), 277–290.
Brown, K. W., Ryan, R. M., & Creswell, J. D. (2007). Mindfulness: theoretical foundations and evidence for its salutary effects. Psychological Inquiry, 18, 211–237.
Bush, G., Luu, P., & Posner, M. I. (2000). Cognitive and emotional influences in anterior cingulate cortex. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 4(6), 215–222.
Cahn, B. R., & Polich, J. (2006). Meditation states and traits: EEG, ERP, and neuroimaging studies. Psychological Bulletin, 132(2), 180.
Callejas, A., Lupiánez, J., & Tudela, P. (2004). The three attentional networks: on their independence and interactions. Brain and Cognition, 54(3), 225–227.
Callejas, A., Lupianez, J., Funes, M. J., & Tudela, P. (2005). Modulations among the alerting, orienting and executive control networks. Experimental Brain Research, 167(1), 27–37.
Corbetta, M., Kincade, J. M., Ollinger, J. M., McAvoy, M. P., & Shulman, G. L. (2000). Voluntary orienting is dissociated from target detection in human posterior parietal cortex. Nature Neuroscience, 3(3), 292–297.
Cozza, C. M. (2010). Does mindfulness affect subsystems of attention? Doctoral dissertation, Duke University.
Elliott, J.C., Wallace, B.A., & Giesbrecht, B. (2014). A week-long meditation retreat decouples behavioral measures of the alerting and executive attention networks. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8.
Eriksen, B. A., & Eriksen, C. W. (1974). Effects of noise letters upon the identification of a target letter in a nonsearch task. Perception & Psychophysics, 16(1), 143–149.
Fan, J., McCandliss, B. D., Sommer, T., Raz, A., & Posner, M. I. (2002). Testing the efficiency and independence of attentional networks. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 14(3), 340–347.
Fan, J., McCandliss, B. D., Fossella, J., Flombaum, J. I., & Posner, M. I. (2005). The activation of attentional networks. NeuroImage, 26(2), 471–479.
Giovannini, C., Giromini, L., Bonalume, L., Tagini, A., Lang, M., & Amadei, G. (2014). The Italian five facet mindfulness questionnaire: a contribution to its validity and reliability. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 36(3), 415–423.
Grossman, P. (2010). Mindfulness for psychologists: paying kind attention to the perceptible. Mindfulness, 1(2), 87–97.
Hick, S. (2008). Cultivating therapeutic relationships: The role of mindfulness. In S. F. Hick & T. Bien (Eds.), Mindfulness and the therapeutic relationship (pp. 3–18). New York: Guilford.
Hofmann, S. G., Sawyer, A. T., Witt, A. A., & Oh, D. (2010). The effect of mindfulness-based therapy on anxiety and depression: a meta-analytic review. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78(2), 169.
Hölzel, B. K., Carmody, J., Vangel, M., Congleton, C., Yerramsetti, S. M., Gard, T., & Lazar, S. W. (2011). Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 191(1), 36–43.
Huitema, B. (2011). The analysis of covariance and alternatives: Statistical methods for experiments, quasi-experiments, and single-case studies (vol. 608). Wiley.
Jha, A. P., Krompinger, J., & Baime, M. J. (2007). Mindfulness training modifies subsystems of attention. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 7(2), 109–119.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2009). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain and illness. New York: Delta.
Leonard, N. R., Jha, A. P., Casarjian, B., Goolsarran, M., Garcia, C., Cleland, C. M., & Massey, Z. (2013). Mindfulness training improves attentional task performance in incarcerated youth: a group randomized controlled intervention trial. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 792.
López-Ramón, M. F., Castro, C., Roca, J., Ledesma, R., & Lupiañez, J. (2011). Attentional networks functioning, age, and attentional lapses while driving. Traffic Injury Prevention, 12(5), 518–528.
Lutz, A., Slagter, H. A., Dunne, J. D., & Davidson, R. J. (2008). Attention regulation and monitoring in meditation. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 12(4), 163–169.
MacLeod, C. M. (1991). Half a century of research on the Stroop effect: an integrative review. Psychological Bulletin, 109(2), 163.
MacLeod, J. W., Lawrence, M. A., McConnell, M. M., Eskes, G. A., Klein, R. M., & Shore, D. I. (2010). Appraising the ANT: psychometric and theoretical considerations of the attention network test. Neuropsychology, 24(5), 637.
Malinowski, P. (2013). Neural mechanisms of attentional control in mindfulness meditation. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 7, 8.
Marrocco, R. T., Witte, E. A., & Davidson, M. C. (1994). Arousal systems. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 4(2), 166–170.
Miyake, A., Friedman, N. P., Emerson, M. J., Witzki, A. H., Howerter, A., & Wager, T. D. (2000). The unity and diversity of executive functions and their contributions to complex “frontal lobe” tasks: a latent variable analysis. Cognitive Psychology, 41(1), 49–100.
Piet, J., & Hougaard, E. (2011). The effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for prevention of relapse in recurrent major depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(6), 1032–1040.
Posner, M. I. (1980). Orienting of attention. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 32(1), 3–25.
Posner, M. I., & Cohen, Y. (1984). Components of visual orienting. Attention and performance X: Control of language processes, 32, 531–556.
Posner, M. I., & Dehaene, S. (1994). Attentional networks. Trends in Neurosciences, 17(2), 75–79.
Posner, M. I., & Petersen, S. E. (1990). The attention system of the human brain. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 13, 25–42.
Raffone, A., & Srinivasan, N. (2009). An adaptive workspace hypothesis about the neural correlates of consciousness: insights from neuroscience and meditation studies. Progress in Brain Research, 176, 161–180.
Roca, J., Castro, C., López-Ramón, M. F., & Lupiánez, J. (2011). Measuring vigilance while assessing the functioning of the three attentional networks: the ANTI-Vigilance task. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 198(2), 312–324.
Roca, J., Fuentes, L. J., Marotta, A., López-Ramón, M. F., Castro, C., Lupiáñez, J., & Martella, D. (2012). The effects of sleep deprivation on the attentional functions and vigilance. Acta Psychologica, 140(2), 164–176.
Roca, J., Crundall, D., Moreno-Rios, S., Castro, C., & Lupiáñez, J. (2013a). The influence of differences in the functioning of the neurocognitive attentional networks on drivers’ performance. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 50, 1193–1206.
Roca, J., Padilla, J. L., López-Ramón, F. M., & Castro, C. (2013b). Assessing individual differences in driving inattention: adaptation and validation of the attention-related driving errors scale to Spain. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 21, 43–51.
Rogosa, D. (1980). Comparing nonparallel regression lines. Psychological Bulletin, 88(2), 307–321. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.88.2.307.
Schneider, W., Eschman, A., & Zuccolotto, A. (2002). . E-Prime: User’s guide. Psychology Software Inc.
Slagter, H. A., Lutz, A., Greischar, L. L., Francis, A. D., Nieuwenhuis, S., Davis, J. M., & Davidson, R. J. (2007). Mental training affects distribution of limited brain resources. PLoS Biology, 5(6), e138.
Tang, Y. Y., Ma, Y., Wang, J., Fan, Y., Feng, S., Lu, Q., & Posner, M. I. (2007). Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104(43), 17152–17156.
Tang, Y. Y., Rothbart, M. K., & Posner, M. I. (2012). Neural correlates of establishing, maintaining, and switching brain states. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16(6), 330–337.
van den Hurk, P. A., Janssen, B. H., Giommi, F., Barendregt, H. P., & Gielen, S. C. (2010). Mindfulness meditation associated with alterations in bottom-up processing: psychophysiological evidence for reduced reactivity. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 78(2), 151–157.
Wenk-Sormaz, H. (2005). Meditation can reduce habitual responding. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 11(2), 42.
Zylowska, L., Ackerman, D. L., Yang, M. H., Futrell, J. L., Horton, N. L., Hale, T. S., & Smalley, S. L. (2008). Mindfulness meditation training in adults and adolescents with ADHD a feasibility study. Journal of Attention Disorders, 11(6), 737–746.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank two anonymous reviewers of “mindfulness” for their very useful remarks and suggestions leading to a remarkably improved manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.
Additional information
Simona Arianna Di Francesco and Luca Simione contributed equally to this work.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Di Francesco, S.A., Simione, L., López-Ramón, M.F. et al. Dispositional mindfulness facets predict the efficiency of attentional networks. Mindfulness 8, 101–109 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-016-0634-5
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-016-0634-5