data_meditationbrain: MeditationBrain - Ch15 - from Holzel et al. (2011)
In rcalinjageman/esci: Estimation Statistics with Confidence Intervals

data_meditationbrain

R Documentation

MeditationBrain - Ch15 - from Holzel et al. (2011)

Description

My example is a well-known study of mindfulness meditation by Holzel et al. (2011). People who wanted to reduce stress, and were not experienced meditators, were assigned to a Meditation (n = 16) or a Control (n = 17) group. The Meditation group participated in 8 weeks of intensive training and practice of mindfulness meditation. The researchers used a questionnaire to assess a range of emotional and cognitive variables both before (Pretest) and after (Posttest) the 8-week period. All assessment was conducted while the participants were not meditating. The study is notable for including brain imaging to assess possible changes in participants' brains from Pretest to Posttest. The researchers measured gray matter concentration, which increases in brain regions that experience higher and more frequent activation. The researchers expected that the hippocampus may be especially responsive to meditation because it has been implicated in the regulation of emotion, arousal, and general responsiveness. They therefore included in their planned analysis the assessment of any changes to gray matter concentration in the hippocampus.