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The influence of mindfulness training on the processing of painful stimuli in a transient spatial attention paradigm
Batzel, A. (2012) The influence of mindfulness training on the processing of painful stimuli in a transient spatial attention paradigm.
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| Abstract: | The aim of the current study was to determine the influence of mindfulness training on the processing of painful stimuli in a transient spatial attention paradigm. We examined the processing of intracutaneous stimulation by focusing on the N1 and P3a ERP components, which were assumed to indicate early sensory processing and the orienting response towards painful stimuli respectively. A separate-sample pretest-posttest design was adopted, where the treatment consisted of a mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) training. The control group took part in an EEG experiment prior to the MBSR training and the experimental group participated after attending the MBSR training. During the EEG experiment the participants performed a modified Posner task, where the to-be-attended side changed randomly. Intracutaneous electrical stimuli were administered to the forearms with high or low intensities. Participants had to press a foot pedal when a stimulus of relevant intensity appeared at the to-be-attended arm. Analysis of the ERP components indicated no group differences on the N1 component amplitudes and latencies. Peak amplitudes of the P3a component for unattended stimuli were significantly higher for the control group as compared to the experimental group on the electrode FCz. Early sensory stimulus processing was not affected by mindfulness training since no group differences were found in N1 component amplitudes or latencies. However, mindfulness indeed facilitated the ability to successfully orient attention as indicated by a decreased orientation response towards unattended pain stimuli. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology BSc (56604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/62327 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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