The mindfulness question: no evidence of increased false memory in short-term interventions rather increases in accuracy

Abstract

Mindfulness is defined as the process of attending to one's awareness in the present moment (Creswell, 2016). Recently, research has been growing on the effects of mindfulness on false memory, often yielding nebulous results (Brainerd & Reyna, 1998; Wilson, Mickes, Stolarz-Fantino, Evrard, & Fantino, 2015). Furthermore, research has shown that trait mind-wandering and cognitive error proneness are related to absorption in altered states, leaving them factors of interest that will be correlated with memory outcomes in the current research (Mrazek, Phillips, Franklin, Broadway, & Schooler, 2013; Cheyne, Carriere, & Smilek, 2006). Participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental (breathing-based mindfulness) or a control group (mind-wandering mindfulness),receiving six word lists taken from the Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm before and after their condition (Roediger, Watson, McDermott, &Gallo, 2001). Both mindfulness conditions involve written recall on word lists presented before and after the audio intervention. After completing recall, both conditions proceed to a five minute filler maze task, and finally the completion of a recognition task. The breathing-based groups received a l5-minute breathing-based mindfulness audio intervention, whereas the control received a 15-minute mind-wandering mindfulness audio intervention. Data do not support the notion of short-term mindfulness interventions having a measurable effect on false or correct memory on either recall or recognition, yet shows increased d’ accuracy from pretest to posttest conditions. Future studies should seek to enhance the intensity of the mindfulness intervention, perhaps through multi-modal sensory control or longer-term mindfulness interventions.