Two experiments tested whether mindfulness practice reduces cognitive rigidity using a water jar task where initial problems required a complex formula, but later problems also allowed a simpler solution. Experienced meditators showed significantly less persistence with the complex formula compared to non-meditators in Experiment 1. In Experiment 2, non-meditators who completed an eight-session mindfulness program also had lower rigidity scores than a waiting list group. The authors conclude that mindfulness meditation reduces the tendency to be blinded by past experience, promoting more adaptive and flexible problem-solving.
Two experiments tested whether mindfulness practice reduces cognitive rigidity using a water jar task where initial problems required a complex formula, but later problems also allowed a simpler solution. Experienced meditators showed significantly less persistence with the complex formula compared to non-meditators in Experiment 1. In Experiment 2, non-meditators who completed an eight-session mindfulness program also had lower rigidity scores than a waiting list group. The authors conclude that mindfulness meditation reduces the tendency to be blinded by past experience, promoting more adaptive and flexible problem-solving.