Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Milgram Study > Holzel et al. (2011) > Flashcards

Holzel et al. (2011) Flashcards

1
Q

Psychology being investigated in mindfulness

A

Type of meditation in where you focus on being intensely aware of what you’re sensing/feeling in the moment without any judgement

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What happens in mindfulness?

A

A person becomes more aware of:
- themselves
- current experience
- physical sensations
- thoughts
- feelings

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What does mindfulness involve?

A
  • breathing techniques
  • guided imagery
  • other practices that relax mind/body
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What are some benefits of mindfulness?

A
  • increases grey matter in brain
  • helps to embrace the mind, heart, body
  • improvd health
  • helps to avoid depression and chronic anxiety
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is Localisation of Functions?

A

It’s the idea that certain functions (like language/memory) have certain locations within the brain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

How is the brain studied?

A
  • historically by studying dead bodies
  • structural: scans take detailed pictures of the shape of the brain area
  • functional: scans show activity levels in different parts of the brain
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Localisation of the brain (areas)

A

Parts of the brain:
- hippocampus: learning and memory
- insula: awareness/PROI

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

How can meditation reshape our brains?

A

Reduced symptoms for:
- depression
- anxiety disorders
- pain
- insomnia
- enhanced ability to pay attention
- increased quality of life
- empathy/compassion/calmer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Size of amygdala in correlation to stress levels

A
  • higher stress levels = larger amygdala
  • lower stress levels = smaller amygdala
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Aim of Holzel et al.

A

The focus of the study is to identify brain regions that changed in association with participation in an 8 week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Sample 1

A
  • pps from New England
  • age: 25-55 years
  • People enrolled in 4 MBSR courses at Centre for Mindfulness at University of Massachusetts
  • committed to attend all 8 classes and perform prescribed daily hw
  • physically and psychologically healthy
  • no meds taken
  • self-referred: reduce stress and referred by physician
  • all were safe to have an MRI scan (no metallic implants)
  • had limited experience with meditation:
    –> no meditation classes in past 6 months
    –> no more than 4 classes in past 5 yrs
    –> no 10 classes in a lifetime
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Sample 2

A
  • initial experimental sample:
    –>18 R-handed pps
    –> 8M, 10F
    –> 2 males left and didn’t attend 2nd session due to discomfort
  • remaining sample:
    –> mean age = 38 yrs
    –> 13 caucasian
    –> 1 asian
    –> 1 african american
    –> 1 multi-ethnic
  • control group:
    –> 17 pps
    –> 11M, 6F
    –> mean age = 39 yrs
    –> 13 caucasian
    –> 2 asian
    –> 2 african american
    –> 1 hispanic
    –> both groups did NOT differ in age and education level
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Informed consent

A
  • Written informed consent was obtained by all participants

Study protocol approved by:
- The IRBs of Massachusetts General Hospital
- The University of Massachusetts Medical School

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Sample evaluation

A

STRENGTHS:
- opportunity sample
- multi-ethnic pps

WEAKNESSES:
- not generalisable
(all pps in the same area/small sample size)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Research method & design

A

(Design) - Independent measures:
- IV: MBSR
- 2 1/2 hr session every week for 8 weeks
- full day session in 6th week

  • longitudinal study (8 weeks)
  • pps tested before and after intervention
  • compared to control group

Participants trained in mindfulness exercises:
- body scan
- mindful yoga
- sitting meditation

DV:
- changes in grey matter in brain (using MRI scans)
- measures on 5 mindfulness scales (questionnaires - FFMQ)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Describe what happened in MBSR intervention (part 1)

A
  • 8 weekly group meetings
  • 2 1/2 hrs each
  • 1 full day (6.5 hrs)
  • 6th week of the course

[A] BODY SCAN
- attention guided through entire body
- non-judgemental awareness
- sensations in each region

[B] MINDFUL YOGA
- gentle stretching exercises
- slow movements coordinated with breathing
- emphasis on full awareness with moment-to-moment experience
- non-harming attitude to body
- investigate what feels appropriate to one’s body

[C] SITTING MEDITATION
- awareness of sensations of breathing
- awareness of different modalities (sight, taste, other body sensations)
- expand awareness meditation by including anything that appears in the consciousness

17
Q

MBSR intervention (part 2)

A
  • questions relating to the practice of mindfulness in every day life were clarified
  • pps received audio recordings containing 45 minute guided mindfulness exercises
  • instructed to practice daily at home
  • taught to practice mindfulness informally in everyday activities: eating, walking, taking a shower
  • during classes, formal mindfulness exercises were practiced
  • pps recorded amount of time they spent engaged in mindfulness exercises each day
  • didactic (informative) instruction given on using mindfulness for coping with stress in daily life
18
Q

Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire
(psychometric scale)

A
  1. Observing
    - notice internal and external stimuli
    - sensations
    - emotions
    - cognitions
    - sights/sounds/smells
  2. Describing
    - noting
    - mentally label these stimuli with words
  3. Acting with awareness
    - attending to one’s current actions
  4. Non-judging of inner experience
    - refraining from evaluation of one’s sensations, cognitions, emotions
  5. non-reactivity to inner experience
    - allowing thoughts and feelings to come and go, without attention getting caught up in them
19
Q

5-point likert-type scale

A

1 = never/rarely very true
5 = very often/always true
- 5 subscales shown adequate to good internal consistency
- data collected from both groups

20
Q

Evaluation MBSR

A

MBSR:
Strengths:
- descriptive
- efficacy
- reliability

Weakness:
- social desirability
- individual differences
- homework

21
Q

Evaluation FFMQ

A

FFMQ:
Strengths:
- test-retest reliability
- validity

Weaknesses:
- social desirability

22
Q

What is ROI (regions of interest)?

A

It’s an analysis where you choose to analyze a region selected in the brain before you look at the whole brain

23
Q

Regions of Interest

A
  • hippocampus
  • insula
  • exploratory analyses performed on entire brain compared to control
24
Q

Procedure

A
  • experimental and control group both completed FFMQ
  • pps in both groups were put in MRI scans of their brains for 2 occasions
  • 45 mins audio recording pps had to follow
  • Experimental:
    –> during 2 weeks before
    –> 2 weeks after the 8-week MBSR intervention
    –> average gap of 56 days
  • Control:
    –> average of 66 days between 2 scans
  • Data from MRI scans used in 2 ways:
    –> to procedure “Regions of Interest” analysis of particular brain areas
    –> “Whole brain analysis” to explore other regions potentially affected by the mindfulness intervention
25
Q

Procedure flowchart

A

Exp. group:
- MRI scans
- FFMQ
- MBSR
- MRI scans
= 56 days

Control group:
- MRI scans
- FFMQ
- MRI scans
= 66 days

26
Q

Evaluation of MRI scans

A

Strengths:
- objective data
- details of structure

Weaknesses:
- stressful
- no qualitative data
- can be errors in scanner

27
Q
  1. RESULTS: Amount of mindfulness practice
A

Formal hw exercises over 8 weeks:
- average 22.6 hrs
- average per day 27 mins

  • amount of body scan practice = 335 - 1002 mins
  • mean = 699 mins
  • SD = 217 mins
  • amount of yoga practice = 103 - 775 mins
  • mean = 327 mins
  • SD = 194 mins
  • amount of sitting meditation = 0 - 755 mins
  • mean = 332 mins
  • SD = 211 mins
28
Q

What’s the correlation coefficient for body scan, yoga, and sitting?

A
  • body scan & yoga –> r = -0.042
  • body scan & sitting –> r = -0.26
  • yoga and sitting –> r = 0.49
29
Q
  1. RESULTS: Improvements in mindfulness
A

Using FFMQ, 3 of 5 subscales we found:
- acting with awareness = 18.87
- observing = 7.09
- non-judging = 4.61
- MBSR pps increased their mindfulness scores on these 3 subscales compared to control group

30
Q
  1. RESULTS: Grey matter changes in priori regions of interest
A
  • LEFT HIPPOCAMPUS = NO difference between control and exp group at start of study
  • NO changes in grey matter concentrations in control group between two test points
  • Increases in LEFT HIPPOCAMPUS in MBSR was found
  • Structural changes are detectable in this region within 8 weeks

Changes in priori regions were NOT CORRELATED with the amount of mindfulness practiced or changes in FFMQ

31
Q

Grey matter concentration results

A
  • changes in grey matter represented as a positive (+) number = increase
  • changes in grey matter represented as a negative (-) = decrease
  • figures can be converted as a %
    Eg: +0.01 = 1% increase
32
Q
  1. RESULTS: Whole brain analysis
A
  • revealed 4 clusters with significant grey matter concentration at POST compared to PRE-POINT time in MBSR
  • 1 cluster = posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)
  • 1 cluster = Left temporo-parietal junction (TPJ)
  • 2 clusters = cerebellum
  • NO regions showed significant decrease in grey matter concentration following MBSR
  • amount of hw practiced and change in FFMQ were not correlated with change in clusters
  • NO significant clusters were identified to increase or decrease in grey matter concentration from PRE to POST in control group
  • small reductions in grey matter were presented in control group over study period
33
Q

Conclusions

A
  • study demonstrates longitudinal changes in grey matter concentration following 8W MBSR compared to control group
  • exploratory whole brain analyses identified increases in grey matter concentration in:
    –> PCC
    –> TPJ
    –> cerebellum
34
Q

Evaluation strengths

A
  • high reliability (controls, standardized procedure)
  • use of technical equipment (validity, objective)
  • usefulness (to participants and brain functioning)
  • ethics (informed consent)
  • longitudinal study (long period of time allows for more in-depth research to be conducted in pps)
35
Q

Evaluation weaknesses

A
  • low eco validity (setting task)
  • low generalisability (pps all from New England same area)
  • correlation (no cause and effect)
  • ethics (can be potential psychological discomfort)

Milgram Study (18 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions