The Basics
What is the aim of this study?
To investigate the potential long term effects of a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program on brain grey matter density
What are the research methods of Holzel? (one main and one other)
Main: Longitudinal study
Other: Self report
The experimental group completed an MBSR course. What were the three main elements of the program?
body scan, mindful yoga, and sitting meditation.
True or False: The hypothesis was not supported due to the participants lying on the FFMQ
False! the hypothesis is supported!
Holzel et al supports the side of nature due to its studying of physiological brain changes. Describe the nurture side of the debate.
Could be supported by the fact that the experience of MBSR impacted brain structure.
Increased grey matter concentration in ROI's (hippocampus and insula)
In Holzel, the samples are only exposed to one condition each. What is the experimental design of the study?
Independent measures design
True or false 🤨? The control group took the same MBSR course to keep the results uniform.
False
Did the control group show grey matter density increase?
NO :(
Describe the weaknesses of Holzel et al.
Self Report FFMQ:
could have lied and given socially desirable responses as they want to look good (demand characteristics).
The questionnaire has a lot of closed questions, so the participants might be forced to pick an answer that does not show their true opinion.
Non-mindfulness specific parts of the course could have produced effects not just MBSR.
One of the psychologies being investigated is mindfulness. Define this term.
The awareness of the present-moment experiences with a compassionate, non-judgemental stance.
What is the independent variable (1) and the dependent variables (2) of the study?
Independent Variable: (Group) MBSR group or control group
Dependent Variable: two outcome measures - self-report FFMQ (five subject scales) and brain scans producing voxel-based morphometry scores
The experimental group who took the MBSR course had homework to do! Describe how they assigned it and what they were required to do at home.
Experimental group given audio recordings of 45-minute mindfulness exercises consisting of the 3 points above; created to be used at home. Participants were also taught to practice mindfulness in everyday activities, such as eating and walking.
the whole brain analysis showed how many regions of increased gray matter concentration in the MBSR group?
4
Suggest at least one application to everyday life of the study by Hölzel et al. (mindfulness and brain scans). Do not refer to more than three applications in your answer. Your suggestion(s) must be ethical
Employers with employees who are feeling stressed. (Counsellors in) schools can use them to help reduce stress in students (around exam time). Using brain scans to examine grey matter concentration in therapy/people with problems/head injuries. Yoga instructors can introduce elements of mindfulness into their classes to decrease stress.
Describe the experimental group and control group of the study (describe the sample)
experimental group: 16; 2 withdrew due to discomfort in MRI. 6 males and 10 females. Mean age = 38 years. 13 Caucasians, 1 Asian, 1 African American, 1 multi-ethnic. Average of 17.7 years of education.
control group: n = 17. 11 males and 6 females. Mean age = 39 years. Majority Caucasian with at least 1 Hispanic, 1 Asian and at least 1 African American. Average 17.3 years of education.
Describe the FFMQ
Five facet mindfulness questionnaire (FFMQ)
39 item scale designed to measure the five factors of mindfulness and measured on a 5 point likert scale
Scale was “reversed scored”
The five factors are:
- Observing
- Describing
- Acting with awareness
- Non-judging of inner experience
- Non-reactivity to inner experience
Describe the MBSR Course (length)
The MBSR course consisted of eight-weekly group meeting that lasted 2.5 hours. In the sixth week of the course, participants had one full day (6.5 hours).
Which area of the brain showed significant results of grey matter density increase?
left hippocampus
Betsy is talking about the study by Hölzel et al. (mindfulness and brain scans). She says that the study has validity. Explain why Betsy is correct that the study has validity, using evidence from this study in your answer.
Validity is about whether a measure is truly measuring what it should be /Internal validity is about whether the IV is directly affecting the DV due to strong controls. The study used MRI scans which are objective measures of brain matter. The study did have some controls like the inclusion criteria for participation meaning that this variable was less likely to affect the DV of grey matter density. As the MBSR program was a conducted in the real-world setting, it can be argued that the study had ecological validity.
Holzel focused on the localization of function in the brain. Name the functions of the insula and the hippocampus.
Insula: acts as a central hub for processing sensory, emotional, and bodily information, helping us experience and understand our internal and external world
Hippocampus: deals with learning, memory, some emotional control, and spatial navigation.
What analytical technique did Holzel use to measure the concentration of brain tissue in the participant's brains?
voxel-based morphometry
briefly describe each of the 3 elements of the MBSR program.
Body Scan: aim was to get the participant to feel the body “as a complete whole”. Achieved by being guided through the body, being made aware of any sensations felt. Mindful yoga: this included gentle stretching exercises through slow movement, coordinated with breathing patterns. Participants were encouraged to appreciate the limits of their body. Sitting Meditation: includes awareness of the sensation of breathing before moving on to other senses such as taste and sound.
Describe the results collected from the FFMQ
3 subscales showed a significant increase in scores in the MBSR group compared to the control group which were the acting with awareness, observing, and non-judging of inner experiences.
Suggest two problems that could arise if children were used as participants in the study by Hölzel et al. (mindfulness and brain scans).
It can be difficult for children to keep still. For an MRI scan to work, the person has to remain still for a period of time. Therefore, there may be no valid way of measuring brain density as the scans may never be correct/never happen. Children may not understand what is being asked of them. Therefore, the children may not understand how yoga/mindfulness works. As a result, the children may have seen yoga as a game and therefore effectiveness might not have been measured. There are other creditworthy responses, including children can lie about participation in homework, brain developing so grey matter could increase for different reason(s).