PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Mindfulness helps undergraduates stay on track

UM researchers find that mindfulness training significantly reduces mind wandering in college students, promoting learning and improving academic achievement

2014-01-14
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Annette Gallagher
a.gallagher1@umiami.edu
305-284-1121
University of Miami
Mindfulness helps undergraduates stay on track UM researchers find that mindfulness training significantly reduces mind wandering in college students, promoting learning and improving academic achievement Coral Gables, Fla. (Jan. 13, 2014) -- Few situations present as much distraction and time pressure as the college experience. In this environment, attention can be elusive and difficult to sustain even when it is attained. This lack of concentration interferes with learning and is associated with stress, which tends to increase during the academic term.

Now, a form of mental training called mindfulness training, specifically designed for undergraduate students, shows promise as a tool to train attention and improve learning during the academic semester, according to a new study by a team of University of Miami (UM) researchers.

The study is the first to examine the incidence of mind wandering and the impact of mindfulness training, at different time points in the academic calendar. The findings are published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

"This work was the first to integrate mindfulness training into the academic semester by embedding training in students' course schedules, hosting training in the academic building to best accommodate their schedules, and providing a supervised space for mindfulness exercises," says Amishi Jha, associate professor in the Department of Psychology, in the College of Arts and Sciences at UM, and principal investigator of the study.

Mindfulness is a mental state in which a person pays attention to the present experience without ruminating about the past, or worrying about the future. Mindfulness training (MT) emphasizes attention-building exercises and learning to observe the activity of the mind, according to Jha.

For the study, 58 UM undergraduate students participated in an experiment testing the effectiveness of a seven-week mental training program designed to tame the mind wandering and increase focus.

The students were assigned to either the MT group or a control group, who received no training. All participants completed two testing sessions, one at the start of the semester and again at the end of the training interval, as final exams neared. Attention was measured by examining overall accuracy and other performance measures in a computer task of sustained attention. The students also self-reported the incidence of mind wandering during the task.

The results indicate that the groups did not differ at the start of the semester. However, by the end of the training interval, the control group showed diminished attention, and reported increased mind wandering, while those who participated in the program showed significant improvements in attention and no increase in reported mind wandering.

The study is titled "Taming a Wandering Attention: short-form Mindfulness Training in Student Cohorts." Co-authors are Alexandra B. Morrison, post-doctoral associate in psychology; Merissa Goolsarran, research associate in psychology; and Scott L. Rogers, director of the Mindfulness in Law Program, at UM School of Law.

Future studies will seek to work with larger cohorts. The researchers also want to look specifically at how MT may not only impact laboratory measures of mind-wandering, but may also impact real-world mind-wandering which could influence academic learning, decision making, and psychological stress.

This research is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, to determine how to best offer effective MT that has low time requirements, while also being highly effective in high stress cohorts. As a result of Dr. Jha's work, UM is implementing a campus-wide mindfulness initiative, which will include a speakers and retreat series beginning in March, creation of a website with mindfulness information for all UM constituents and the formation of a student group dedicated to the study and practice of mindfulness training.

### END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New breast cancer stem cell findings explain how cancer spreads

2014-01-14
New breast cancer stem cell findings explain how cancer spreads Researchers identify 2 types of cancer stem cells; both necessary to create metastasis ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Breast cancer stem cells exist in two different states and each state plays ...

American Chemical Society podcast: Small dams create greenhouse gas 'hot spots'

2014-01-14
American Chemical Society podcast: Small dams create greenhouse gas 'hot spots' The latest episode in the American Chemical Society's (ACS') award-winning Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions podcast series questions the "green" reputation of small hydroelectric ...

Short circuit in molecular switch intensifies pain

2014-01-14
Short circuit in molecular switch intensifies pain While searching for novel painkillers, researchers at KU Leuven in Belgium came to the surprising conclusion that some candidate drugs actually increase pain. In a study published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, ...

Younger people have 'high definition' memories

2014-01-14
Younger people have 'high definition' memories Researchers look at age-related differences on how memories are stored and retrieved It's not that younger people are able to remember more than older people. Their memories seem better because they are able to retrieve ...

UNC researchers harness sun's energy during day for use at night

2014-01-14
UNC researchers harness sun's energy during day for use at night Solar energy has long been used as a clean alternative to fossil fuels such as coal and oil, but it could only be harnessed during the day when the sun's rays were strongest. ...

Regenstrief and IU review finds lack of delirium screening in the emergency department

2014-01-14
Regenstrief and IU review finds lack of delirium screening in the emergency department INDIANAPOLIS -- Delirium in older patients in an emergency room setting can foretell other health issues. But according to a new study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, ...

Dance and virtual reality: A promising treatment for urinary incontinence in elderly women

2014-01-14
Dance and virtual reality: A promising treatment for urinary incontinence in elderly women This news release is available in French. Virtual reality, dance and fun are not the first things that come to mind when we think of treating urinary ...

Brain structure shows who is most sensitive to pain

2014-01-14
Brain structure shows who is most sensitive to pain WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Jan. 14, 2014 – Everybody feels pain differently, and brain structure may hold the clue to these differences. In a study published in the current online issue of the journal ...

Geriatric health professionals experience added burden when caring for own family members

2014-01-14
Geriatric health professionals experience added burden when caring for own family members (Boston) --In what is believed to be the first study of its kind, researchers from Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) ...

Georgia Tech researchers reveal phrases that pay on Kickstarter

2014-01-14
Georgia Tech researchers reveal phrases that pay on Kickstarter New study finds that pitch language plays major role in success of projects on popular crowdfunding site Researchers at Georgia Tech studying the burgeoning phenomenon of crowdfunding have ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Synthesis of seven quebracho indole alkaloids using "antenna ligands" in 7-10 steps, including three first-ever asymmetric syntheses

BioOne and Max Planck Society sign 3-year agreement to include subscribe to open pilot

How the arts and science can jointly protect nature

Student's unexpected rise as a researcher leads to critical new insights into HPV

Ominous false alarm in the kidney

MSK Research Highlights, October 31, 2025

Lisbon to host world’s largest conference on ecosystem restoration in 2027, led by researcher from the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon

Electrocatalysis with dual functionality – an overview

Scripps Research awarded $6.9 million by NIH to crack the code of lasting HIV vaccine protection

New post-hoc analysis shows patients whose clinicians had access to GeneSight results for depression treatment are more likely to feel better sooner

First transplant in pigs of modified porcine kidneys with human renal organoids

Reinforcement learning and blockchain: new strategies to secure the Internet of Medical Things

Autograph: A higher-accuracy and faster framework for compute-intensive programs

Expansion microscopy helps chart the planktonic universe

Small bat hunts like lions – only better

As Medicaid work requirements loom, U-M study finds links between coverage, better health and higher employment

Manifestations of structural racism and inequities in cardiovascular health across US neighborhoods

Prescribing trends of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists for type 2 diabetes or obesity

Continuous glucose monitoring frequency and glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes

Bimodal tactile tomography with bayesian sequential palpation for intracavitary microstructure profiling and segmentation

IEEE study reviews novel photonics breakthroughs of 2024

New method for intentional control of bionic prostheses

Obesity treatment risks becoming a ‘two-tier system’, researchers warn

Researchers discuss gaps, obstacles and solutions for contraception

Disrupted connectivity of the brainstem ascending reticular activating system nuclei-left parahippocampal gyrus could reveal mechanisms of delirium following basal ganglia intracerebral hemorrhage

Federated metadata-constrained iRadonMAP framework with mutual learning for all-in-one computed tomography imaging

‘Frazzled’ fruit flies help unravel how neural circuits stay wired

Improving care for life-threatening blood clots

Yonsei University develops a new era of high-voltage solid-state batteries

Underweight and unbalanced: Gut microbial diversity in underweight Japanese women

[Press-News.org] Mindfulness helps undergraduates stay on track
UM researchers find that mindfulness training significantly reduces mind wandering in college students, promoting learning and improving academic achievement