Dissecting De-automatization

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The proposed study will assess the effects of mindfulness meditation training on an eye blink conditioning (EBC) task in a sample of novice meditators. This methodology will allow investigation of whether mindfulness interrupts classical conditioning through the process of de-automatization. Implicit learning rates, as reflective of unconscious habit formation and measured by the frequency of conditioned responses during the EBC, will be a main outcome of interest. The proposed study will also assess the effects of mindfulness meditation training on an emotion regulation (ER) task, with a specific focus on reappraisal of negative images and savoring of positive images.

Official Title
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Dissecting De-automatization: The Effect of Mindfulness Training on Unconscious Habit Formation

Conditions
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Mindfulness

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Mindfulness Meditation Training
* Behavioral: Active Listening


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Age 18-60, willingness to participate in study interventions and assessments. Exclusion Criteria: Prior experience with Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, or Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention, or a history of meditation practice, Learning disability, significant memory problems or significant attentional disruptions as determined by self-report, History of head injury resulting in loss of consciousness.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 60 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Basic Science
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Factorial Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Mindfulness<br>Participants randomly assigned to the mindfulness meditation condition will meet for five, 15-minute sessions, in which they will receive training in basic mindfulness skills (Wallace, 2006). | Behavioral: Mindfulness Meditation Training<br>* A researcher will guide participants through 5 mindfulness meditations, each lasting 11 minutes in length.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Active Listening<br>Participants randomly assigned to the active listening condition will meet for five, 15-minute sessions, in which they will listen to Gilbert White's The Natural History of Selborne. | Behavioral: Active Listening<br>* A researcher will read participants 5 selections from The Natural History of Selborne, each lasting 11 minutes in length.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Conditioned Eyeblink Frequency | Between group differences in the frequency of conditioned eyeblinks over the six reinforcement blocks. | 9 minutes | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Positive Emotion Regulation Task | Between group differences in affective change occasioned by savoring positive images will be measured by comparing increases in self-reported positive affect (5-point Likert scale) from pre- to post- positive image, viewing block. | 5 minutes | 
| Negative Emotion Regulation Task | Between group differences in affective change occasioned by positively reappraising negative images will be measured by comparing increases in self-reported negative affect (5-point Likert scale) from pre- to post- negative image, viewing block. | 5 minutes | 
| Self-Transcendence (NADA-State) | Between group differences in the degree to which mindfulness training alters participants' sense of self as measured by the nondaul awareness dimension assessment's (NADA) state form. | 2 minutes |