When two stimuli are presented in quick succession, most people fail to identify the second stimuli, known as Attentional Blink. Thought to be the result of limited attentional resources, mindfulness research shows that seasoned meditators were able to correctly identify the second stimulus. EEG recordings confirm lower brain activity in response to the first stimulus, suggesting meditators reserve more attentional resources across various stimuli for a more fully engaged deployment of conscious attention.

Villanova University

Arizona State University

A blanket term used to describe the various sub-process that underlie an individual's ability to direct internal awareness of various external stimuli. Examples include "alerting" (becoming aware of stimuli entering one's conscious attention), "conflict monitoring" (mitigating disctraction), and "sustained attention" (the ability to maintain singular focus for an extended period of time).

Attention in Mindfulness

Fabrizio, D. (ed.). (2009). Clinical handbook of mindfulness. Springer. 

Clinical Handbook of Mindfulness

Attentional Blink in Mindfulness

- increase in perceptual sensitivity and improved vigilance in a sustained visual attention task
- increased activation in the attention network (prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate among other regions)
- less impulsiveness, tolerance to stressors, and heightened self-esteem
- increased response inhibition predicting adaptive socio-emotional functioning 
- reduced ruminative thinking and anxiety 
- increased empathy and self-compassion 
- reduced stress symptoms, helps in the process of positive reappraisal to deal with stress

Cognitive and Psychological Effects of Meditation Retreats

Mindfulness meditation improves conflict monitoring and reduces attentional blink. These changes were studies using the attention network test (ANT) and other experimental paradigms to determine the effects of meditation on attentional performance.

Effects of mindfulness meditation on attention

Attentional deployment is a type of emotional regulation strategy in which a person attempts to alter their emotional state by shifting their attention in a particular way as the situation arises. 

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