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Meditation and attention: A comparison of the effects of concentrative and mindfulness meditation on sustained attention
Mental Health, Religion & Culture
Short Title: Meditation and attention
Format: Journal Article
Publication Year: 1999
Pages: 59-70
Sources ID: 22284
Visibility: Private
Abstract: (Show)

Abstract The performance of concentrative and mindfulness meditators on a test of sustained attention (Wilkins' counting test) was compared with controls. Both groups of meditators demonstrated superior performance on the test of sustained attention in comparison with controls, and long-term meditators were superior to short-term meditators. Mindfulness meditators showed superior performance in comparison with concentrative meditators when the stimulus was unexpected but there was no difference between the two types of meditators when the stimulus was expected. The results are discussed in relation to the attentional mechanisms involved in the two types of meditation and implications drawn for mental health.

Subjects: 
Variations in Practice Detail
Psychology and Contemplation
Cognition and Contemplation
Science and Contemplation
Contemplation by Applied Subject