No Sustained Attention Differences in a Longitudinal Randomized Trial Comparing Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction versus Active Control
Donal G. Maccoon, Katherine A. Maclean, Richard Davidson et al. 9 citations
Eight weeks of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) training did not improve sustained attention or visual discrimination more than an active control program (Health Enhancement Program) in a randomized trial with 63 community adults. The study had sufficient statistical power to show that the two groups did not differ in their improvement over time on a continuous performance task. One prediction about attentional fatigue was statistically significant but uninterpretable. Some evidence for improved visual discrimination partially replicated earlier findings. Attentional sensitivity appears unaffected by MBSR, but whether mindfulness might benefit vigilance remains unclear.