Research on Mindfulness Meditation

A forum for those wishing to discuss Buddhist history and teachings in the Western academic manner, referencing appropriate sources.
Post Reply
useless_id
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 10:05 pm

Research on Mindfulness Meditation

Post by useless_id »

http://edu.surveygizmo.com/s3/1146592/M ... sciousness

Hello everyone, given that this is engaged buddhism part of dharmawheel I felt that this section was the most appropriate forum for my request. With this said I am reaching out to fellow meditators in the hope of enlisting your support. In short, I am conducting a quick, 5-8 minute survey as part of my master's thesis to see if there is an empirical link between mindfulness and shifts in consciousness. If a significant link is indeed found then this can open the door to further studies on this topic along with promoting clinical applications of mindfulness in mental health.

Given that I can't simply ask people on the street about the effects of meditation on their lives your assistance is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions feel free to ask them here and I will attempt to answer them promptly. Thank you!
User avatar
PadmaVonSamba
Posts: 9437
Joined: Sat May 14, 2011 1:41 am

Re: Research on Mindfulness Meditation

Post by PadmaVonSamba »

I got as far as the rating system which started with:

"I could be experiencing some emotion and not be conscious of it until sometime later. "
Which doesn't make any sense to me,
and from the Buddhist understanding,
experiencing something and being conscious of it are the same thing.
So, you can't be experiencing it and not be conscious of it.
awareness (being conscious of) of something is the experience.
So, I stopped taking the survey.
.
.
.
EMPTIFUL.
An inward outlook produces outward insight.
lojong1
Posts: 40
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2010 10:57 pm

Re: Research on Mindfulness Meditation

Post by lojong1 »

From OP's link above:
"What is the title of this study?
Mindfulness and Self-Absorption: Examining the relationship between non-elaborative attention and shifts in rigidity of self-consciousness.
What is the purpose of this study?
The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not a relationship exists between the practice of mindfulness and the degree to which a person rigidly sustains their attention on self-oriented processes (i.e. self-consciousness). The results of this study may help to clarify the relationship between these two theoretically distinct ideas and any demographic variables that may moderate the aforementioned relationship."


It just doesn't look real to me. Pass.
ball-of-string
Posts: 102
Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2010 7:05 am

Re: Research on Mindfulness Meditation

Post by ball-of-string »

He posted the same in another forum. I had the same concerns, but after asking some questions I learned the name of his university and the name of his advisor. It is legitimate.
DGA
Former staff member
Posts: 9466
Joined: Tue Jul 13, 2010 5:04 pm

Re: Research on Mindfulness Meditation

Post by DGA »

what are "shifts in consciousness"?
User avatar
PadmaVonSamba
Posts: 9437
Joined: Sat May 14, 2011 1:41 am

Re: Research on Mindfulness Meditation

Post by PadmaVonSamba »

lojong1 wrote:From OP's link above:

"What is the title of this study?
Mindfulness and Self-Absorption: Examining the relationship between non-elaborative attention and shifts in rigidity of self-consciousness.
What is the purpose of this study?
The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not a relationship exists between the practice of mindfulness and the degree to which a person rigidly sustains their attention on self-oriented processes (i.e. self-consciousness). The results of this study may help to clarify the relationship between these two theoretically distinct ideas and any demographic variables that may moderate the aforementioned relationship."
Does centering oneself more make a person more self-centered?
(is that what this study is trying to find out? I flunked academia).
.
.
EMPTIFUL.
An inward outlook produces outward insight.
DGA
Former staff member
Posts: 9466
Joined: Tue Jul 13, 2010 5:04 pm

Re: Research on Mindfulness Meditation

Post by DGA »

PadmaVonSamba wrote:
lojong1 wrote:From OP's link above:

"What is the title of this study?
Mindfulness and Self-Absorption: Examining the relationship between non-elaborative attention and shifts in rigidity of self-consciousness.
What is the purpose of this study?
The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not a relationship exists between the practice of mindfulness and the degree to which a person rigidly sustains their attention on self-oriented processes (i.e. self-consciousness). The results of this study may help to clarify the relationship between these two theoretically distinct ideas and any demographic variables that may moderate the aforementioned relationship."
Does centering oneself more make a person more self-centered?
(is that what this study is trying to find out? I flunked academia).
.
.
I teach research methods to undergrads. We spend most of the first semester just on putting together a proper research question. One of the most important characteristics of a research question is this:

a research question does not presuppose an answer.

:reading:

still good: Wayne Booth, The Craft of Research
User avatar
Wayfarer
Former staff member
Posts: 5150
Joined: Sun May 27, 2012 8:31 am
Location: AU

Re: Research on Mindfulness Meditation

Post by Wayfarer »

I have participated in some of these studies and read some research about it. Scientific validation strikes me as being irrelevant to the value of meditation. Perhaps it could be seen as an upaya whereby meditators 'speak the language' of the culture they're in, in order to point out the value of the practice. I also read, somewhere, a recent meta-study which claimed that 'scientific studies of meditation' were frequently undermined by participant bias. i.e. those investigating it, and those participating in it, all 'believed' in meditation and so could not be regarded as 'objective' in regards to it.

Here's a picture of a meditator patiently training scientists:

Image
'Only practice with no gaining idea' ~ Suzuki Roshi
User avatar
Johnny Dangerous
Global Moderator
Posts: 17089
Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2012 10:58 pm
Location: Olympia WA
Contact:

Re: Research on Mindfulness Meditation

Post by Johnny Dangerous »

PadmaVonSamba wrote:I got as far as the rating system which started with:

"I could be experiencing some emotion and not be conscious of it until sometime later. "
Which doesn't make any sense to me,
and from the Buddhist understanding,
experiencing something and being conscious of it are the same thing.
So, you can't be experiencing it and not be conscious of it.
awareness (being conscious of) of something is the experience.
So, I stopped taking the survey.
.
.
.
What about Alaya Vijnana..isn't this essentially a subconscious process much of the time?
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when afflicted by disease

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when sad

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when suffering occurs

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when you are scared

-Khunu Lama
useless_id
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 10:05 pm

Re: Research on Mindfulness Meditation

Post by useless_id »

PadmaVonSamba wrote:I got as far as the rating system which started with:

"I could be experiencing some emotion and not be conscious of it until sometime later. "
Which doesn't make any sense to me,
and from the Buddhist understanding,
experiencing something and being conscious of it are the same thing.
So, you can't be experiencing it and not be conscious of it.
awareness (being conscious of) of something is the experience.
So, I stopped taking the survey.
.
.
.
Hi Padma,

This particular question comes from the Mindfulness Awareness Attention Scale (albeit the abridged version), which rather well-known and frequently used in empirical studies on mindfulness. Despite its popularity within academic circles I must confess my belief that is far from perfect: How do you objectively measure something that is intrinsically non-conceptual (e.g. the quality of our phenomenal experience)? However, despite my qualms the scientific study of mindfulness is still in its infancy and a partial aim of this study is to expand the boundaries of our scientific inquiry into the effects of mindfulness.

On a further note, while your comment on the relation between consciousness and actuality question falls outside the scope of my study this is nevertheless a very interesting question. If I may say so, it is my personal belief that our experience of reality (or, simply ‘reality’) is not only fluid but can also assume different levels of richness, detail, and differentiation. A thought about the future, for instance, may trigger a negative emotion within me which may further lead to a daydream in which I enact certain behaviors or actions. The point is that my experience of this process (particularly with reference to my sense of self as an object associated with a personal history) can be very different depending on the degree/intensity to which I am observing it. On the one hand I can be stuck in it and on the other, aware and mostly free of its effects. Similarly, when emotionally injured some people first feel hurt and then anger yet the transition from pain to anger is so quick that it may appear that there was only anger. As a second brief example, simply have a sense of self (sensations, etc.) does not necessarily translate into an experience of annata. There is, in both cases, a similar yet qualitatively different feel, texture, or richness to it.

At any rate I appreciate your spent time in not only looking at the survey but also raising some very good points.
useless_id
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 10:05 pm

Re: Research on Mindfulness Meditation

Post by useless_id »

Jikan wrote:what are "shifts in consciousness"?
Within experimental psychology there are several models of self-consciousness. Older models dissected self-consciousness into two components: public self-consciousness (awareness of ourselves as objects that stimulate others) and private self-consciousness (awareness of ‘internal’ events such as thoughts, memories, sensations, etc.). More modern theories have gravitated towards analyzing the private component even further into ‘self-reflectivness (e.g. a process of evaluation)’ and ‘internal state awareness (e.g. a non-elaborate awareness of internal processes)’ or similar variants.

Along these lines patterns of self-consciousness -- which the literature has empirically linked with various behaviors and modes of thoughts, feelings, and recollecting memories -- emerge depending on the degree of attention that is habitually placed in each domain. For instance, people who are depressed tend to ruminate because their attention is conditioned towards negative self-evaluation. Thus, in this context by posing a ‘shift in self-consciousness’ in relation to mindfulness I am simply investigating if a statistical relationship exists between the practice of mindfulness (and associated moderators, such as overall time spent practicing mindfulness, etc.) on the one hand and self-consciousness on the other.
I realize this may have been somewhat more than you had wanted but am open to writing more about it (I really enjoy reflecting on and discussing this topic).
SusanChase
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Dec 20, 2013 7:23 am

Re: Research on Mindfulness Meditation

Post by SusanChase »

I believe that meditation can really help relax our mind which good in our mental health. And I also heard on some studies that it will help us have a good blood circulation.
Post Reply

Return to “Academic Discussion”