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Reexamining the Association Between Facets of Mindfulness and Cognitive Performance

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Abstract

Interventions that utilize mindfulness assume that higher dispositional mindfulness is associated with greater cognitive functioning. However, few studies have specifically examined the relationship between mindfulness and cognitive performance. Evidence indicates that domains of mindfulness are related to specific cognitive functions independently; however, these data have not been replicated. The aim of the study was to reexamine the association between facets of mindfulness and cognitive abilities: perception and cognitive flexibility. Participants (N = 192) completed the Five Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire and computerized tasks of perceptual skill and cognitive flexibility. Results indicate that the nonreactivity component, but not the observing, as hypothesized, was related to perception. In contrast, none of the facets of mindfulness demonstrated a significant relationship with performance on a task of cognitive flexibility. The results suggest that the relationship between cognitive processes and facets of mindfulness may not be as clear as previously suggested.

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This project was not conducted in relation to internal or external grant funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Life Science II, Southern Illinois University, 1125 Lincoln Drive, Carbondale, IL, 62901-6502, USA

    Keith P. Klein

  2. Bethel University, Saint Paul, MN, USA

    Steven L. Lancaster

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  1. Keith P. Klein
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  2. Steven L. Lancaster
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Correspondence to Keith P. Klein.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The institutional review board approval number for the present study was 2013-14003. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Klein, K.P., Lancaster, S.L. Reexamining the Association Between Facets of Mindfulness and Cognitive Performance. J Cogn Enhanc 1, 345–351 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41465-017-0037-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41465-017-0037-0

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