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Meditation in the Higher-Education Classroom: Meditation Training Improves Student Knowledge Retention during Lectures

Mindfulness volume 5, pages 431–441 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

The cognitive skills required for successful knowledge retention may be influenced by meditation training. The current studies examined the effects of meditation on the knowledge retention of students. In three experimental studies, participants from three introductory psychology courses randomly received either brief meditation training or rest, listened to a class lecture, then took a post-lecture quiz that assessed students’ knowledge of the lecture material. The results indicated that meditation improved students’ retention of the information conveyed during the lecture in each of the three experiments. Mood, relaxation, and class interest were not affected by the meditation training. Limitations and implications are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology (M/C 285), University of Illinois at Chicago, 1009 Behavioral Science Building, 1007 West Harrison St, Chicago, IL, 60607-7137, USA

    Jared T. Ramsburg

  2. Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA

    Robert J. Youmans

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  1. Jared T. Ramsburg
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  2. Robert J. Youmans
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Correspondence to Jared T. Ramsburg.

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Ramsburg, J.T., Youmans, R.J. Meditation in the Higher-Education Classroom: Meditation Training Improves Student Knowledge Retention during Lectures. Mindfulness 5, 431–441 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-013-0199-5

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Keywords

  • Learning
  • Meditation
  • Cognitive functioning
  • Higher education
  • Academic performance