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Vieth E, von Stockhausen L. Effects of short mindful breathing meditations on executive functioning in two randomized controlled double-blinded experiments. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2023; 239:104006. [PMID: 37591155 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.104006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
While current models of mindfulness propose benefits to the executive functions of inhibition, updating and shifting through mindful breathing meditations, empirical findings on the effects of short mindful breathing meditations are inconclusive regarding their specificity and dose-response relations. Therefore, we compared short mindful breathing meditations (Experiment 1, 45 min over three sessions; Experiment 2, 80 min over four sessions) with relaxation trainings (progressive muscle relaxation; active control) and listening to podcasts (passive control) in two randomized controlled double-blinded trials. Reaction time tasks were used to assess the executive functions of updating (N-Back), inhibition (CPT-II), and shifting (Number-Letter Task). Results of both experiments suggest no mindfulness-specific improvements in executive functions. We conclude that effects following the first stages of mindfulness training may not be specific to the practice or too transient to be reliably measured in pre-post intervention designs. Implications for research in the field are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Vieth
- Department of Psychology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 2, 45141 Essen, Germany.
| | - Lisa von Stockhausen
- Department of Psychology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 2, 45141 Essen, Germany
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Wimmer L, Bellingrath S, von Stockhausen L. Mindfulness Training for Improving Attention Regulation in University Students: Is It Effective? and Do Yoga and Homework Matter? Front Psychol 2020; 11:719. [PMID: 32411045 PMCID: PMC7202325 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study examined the effects of mindfulness training on attention regulation in university students and whether the potential benefits of implementation are influenced by the yoga component of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and/or by MBI homework practice. In a non-randomized trial with pre- and post-assessments, n = 180 university students were allocated to either mindfulness training (experimental groups), awareness activities (active control group), or no training (passive control group). Mindfulness was taught through two MBIs, one including yoga and the other excluding yoga. Attention regulation was operationalized via behavioral indicators, namely sustained attention, cognitive flexibility, cognitive inhibition, and data-driven information processing. With the exception of speed in a cognitive flexibility task, the results indicated no systematic or differential advantage arising from mindfulness training, with or without yoga, regarding the aspects of attention regulation. There was no consistent influence of homework quantity or quality. The implications for mindfulness training in academic contexts are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Wimmer
- Department of Psychology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
- School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Silja Bellingrath
- Department of Psychology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
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Wimmer L, von Stockhausen L, Bellingrath S. Improving emotion regulation and mood in teacher trainees: Effectiveness of two mindfulness trainings. Brain Behav 2019; 9:e01390. [PMID: 31436394 PMCID: PMC6749600 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE The present research investigated potential effects of mindfulness training on emotion regulation and mood of future schoolteachers in a nonrandomized pre-post design, and whether these are influenced by the yoga component of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and/or by homework practice. METHOD N = 169 university students received either mindfulness training (experimental groups), awareness activities (active control group), or no training (passive control group), in the context of university seminars. Allocation to groups was bound by the seminar chosen by participants, and in that sense was self-selected. Mindfulness was trained in two adapted MBSR courses, one of which including yoga, and the other excluding yoga. RESULTS Specific benefits of both mindfulness training groups were observed for emotion regulation in terms of an increase in cognitive reappraisal and a reduction in symptom-focused rumination as well as depressive mood. No benefits of mindfulness training were observed for reductions in expressive suppression, self-focused rumination, anxious, and negative mood or an increase in distraction and positive mood respectively. Mindfulness training with and without yoga was mostly equally effective. Outcomes were largely not moderated by practice quantity or quality, but reductions in depressive mood were mediated by gains in reappraisal and distraction. CONCLUSIONS Mindfulness training can be implemented in the context of university seminars to foster advantageous emotion regulation strategies and lower depressive mood in future schoolteachers. Discontinuing yoga within mindfulness interventions does not seem to reduce training benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Wimmer
- School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.,Department of Psychology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | | | - Silja Bellingrath
- Department of Psychology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
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Gygax PM, Elmiger D, Zufferey S, Garnham A, Sczesny S, von Stockhausen L, Braun F, Oakhill J. A Language Index of Grammatical Gender Dimensions to Study the Impact of Grammatical Gender on the Way We Perceive Women and Men. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1604. [PMID: 31379661 PMCID: PMC6644918 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Psycholinguistic investigations of the way readers and speakers perceive gender have shown several biases associated with how gender is linguistically realized in language. Although such variations across languages offer interesting grounds for legitimate cross-linguistic comparisons, pertinent characteristics of grammatical systems – especially in terms of their gender asymmetries – have to be clearly identified. In this paper, we present a language index for researchers interested in the effect of grammatical gender on the mental representations of women and men. Our index is based on five main language groups (i.e., grammatical gender languages, languages with a combination of grammatical gender and natural gender, natural gender languages, genderless languages with few traces of grammatical gender and genderless languages) and three sets of specific features (morphology, masculine-male generics and asymmetries). Our index goes beyond existing ones in that it provides specific dimensions relevant to those interested in psychological and sociological impacts of language on the way we perceive women and men. We also offer a critical discussion of any endeavor to classify languages according to grammatical gender.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Mark Gygax
- Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Elmiger
- Department for German Language and Literature, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sandrine Zufferey
- Institute of French Language and Literature, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Alan Garnham
- School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Sabine Sczesny
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | | | - Friederike Braun
- Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Jane Oakhill
- School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
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Abstract
The present study investigates whether and how the use of gender-fair language is related to linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic differences between countries with grammatical gender languages. To answer this question, we analyzed job titles in online job advertisements from four European countries differing in achieved gender equality and egalitarian versus hierarchical cultural values (Switzerland, Austria, Poland, and Czech Republic). Results show that gender-fair job titles were more frequent in more egalitarian countries with higher levels of socioeconomic gender equality (Switzerland, Austria) than in countries with a higher acceptance of hierarchies and inequalities (Poland, Czech Republic). In the latter countries, gender-specific (masculine or feminine) job titles predominated. Moreover, gender-fair job titles were more prevalent in a female-dominated branch (health care) and a gender-balanced economic branch (food services) than in a male-dominated branch (constructional steel and metal work). Thus, our findings suggest that the language use in job advertisements indeed corresponds with linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic aspects and may contribute to the transmission of gender (in)equalities and gender stereotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jana Valdrová
- University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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Wimmer L, Bellingrath S, von Stockhausen L. Cognitive Effects of Mindfulness Training: Results of a Pilot Study Based on a Theory Driven Approach. Front Psychol 2016; 7:1037. [PMID: 27462287 PMCID: PMC4940413 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2016] [Accepted: 06/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The present paper reports a pilot study which tested cognitive effects of mindfulness practice in a theory-driven approach. Thirty-four fifth graders received either a mindfulness training which was based on the mindfulness-based stress reduction approach (experimental group), a concentration training (active control group), or no treatment (passive control group). Based on the operational definition of mindfulness by Bishop et al. (2004), effects on sustained attention, cognitive flexibility, cognitive inhibition, and data-driven as opposed to schema-based information processing were predicted. These abilities were assessed in a pre-post design by means of a vigilance test, a reversible figures test, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, a Stroop test, a visual search task, and a recognition task of prototypical faces. Results suggest that the mindfulness training specifically improved cognitive inhibition and data-driven information processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Wimmer
- Department of Psychology, University of Duisburg-EssenEssen, Germany
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Reali C, Esaulova Y, Öttl A, von Stockhausen L. Role descriptions induce gender mismatch effects in eye movements during reading. Front Psychol 2015; 6:1607. [PMID: 26579003 PMCID: PMC4630541 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The present eye-tracking study investigates the effect of gender typicality on the resolution of anaphoric personal pronouns in English. Participants read descriptions of a person performing a typically male, typically female or gender-neutral occupational activity. The description was followed by an anaphoric reference (he or she) which revealed the referent's gender. The first experiment presented roles which were highly typical for men (e.g., blacksmith) or for women (e.g., beautician), the second experiment presented role descriptions with a moderate degree of gender typicality (e.g., psychologist, lawyer). Results revealed a gender mismatch effect in early and late measures in the first experiment and in early stages in the second experiment. Moreover, eye-movement data for highly typical roles correlated with explicit typicality ratings. The results are discussed from a cross-linguistic perspective, comparing natural gender languages and grammatical gender languages. An interpretation of the cognitive representation of typicality beliefs is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Reali
- Department of Psychology, University of Duisburg-Essen Essen, Germany
| | - Yulia Esaulova
- Department of Psychology, University of Duisburg-Essen Essen, Germany
| | - Anton Öttl
- Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim, Norway
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Abstract
This paper discusses recent findings in the online sentence processing research that suggest to consider gender information a prominence feature. Prominence features are hierarchically ordered information types that interact with formal features of arguments (e.g., grammatical functions, thematic roles) and thus determine the readers’ ability to efficiently interpret linguistic ambiguities. While previous research addressed a number of prominence features (e.g., animacy, definiteness, person), there is now first empirical evidence indicating that gender information also influences the assignment of thematic roles across languages. Grammatically masculine role nouns are processed faster as agents than patients compared to feminine ones. Stereotypically male role nouns (e.g., electrician) are integrated with an agent role easier than neutral ones (e.g., musician), which in turn are integrated easier than female ones (e.g., beautician). Conceptualizing gender as a prominence feature will not only expand our knowledge about information types relevant for online comprehension but also uncover subtle gender biases present in language. The present work explores the possibility for a theoretical integration of social psychological and psycholinguistic research focusing on gender with research on prominence. Potential advantages an interdisciplinary approach to the study of gender as a prominence feature, open questions and future directions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulia Esaulova
- Department of Psychology, University of Duisburg-Essen , Essen, Germany
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Abstract
Past research has shown that the gender typicality of applicants’ faces affects leadership selection irrespective of a candidate’s gender: A masculine facial appearance is congruent with masculine-typed leadership roles, thus masculine-looking applicants are hired more certainly than feminine-looking ones. In the present study, we extended this line of research by investigating hiring decisions for both masculine- and feminine-typed professional roles. Furthermore, we used eye tracking to examine the visual exploration of applicants’ portraits. Our results indicate that masculine-looking applicants were favored for the masculine-typed role (leader) and feminine-looking applicants for the feminine-typed role (team member). Eye movement patterns showed that information about gender category and facial appearance was integrated during first fixations of the portraits. Hiring decisions, however, were not based on this initial analysis, but occurred at a second stage, when the portrait was viewed in the context of considering the applicant for a specific job.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sara Koeser
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sabine Sczesny
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Switzerland
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