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The Neuroscience of Attention,
Emotion, & Meditation: Implicationsfor Education
Alfred W. Kaszniak
Department of Psychology
University of Arizona
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Goal-Directed vs. Stimulus-Driven Attention
& The Brain One system (bilateral intraparietal &
superior frontal cortices) - preparing &
applying goal-directed (top-down)selection for stimuli & responses
Other (temporoparietal & inferior frontal
cortices, right lateralized) - detection ofbehaviorally-relevant stimuli(particularly salient or unexpected)
Anterior cingulate cortex (& adjacentVMPFC)- conflict detection, errormonitoring & attention switching
Corbetta, M., & Shulman, G.L. (2002). Control of goal-directed and stimulus-
driven attention in the brain.Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 3, 201-215.
Wager, T.D., Jonides, J., Smith, E.E., & Nichols, T.E. (2005). Toward a
taxonomy of attention shifting: Individual differences in fMRI during multiple
shift types. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 5, 122-143.
ACC
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Stress Disrupts Attention Control andPrefrontal Cortical Processing
In young adults, 1mo. ofthe stress of preparation for
a major exam reversibly
disrupted prefrontal cortexfunctional connectivity and
performance while
performing an attention-
shifting task.Liston, C., McEwen, B.S., & Casey, B.J. (2009).
Psychosocial stress reversibly disrupts prefrontalprocessing and attentional control. Proceedings of
the National Academy of Science, 106, 912-917.
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Childrens Stress
National Kids Poll surveyed 875 children, ages 9 13:
Top 3 sources of stress: School & homework
(36%); Family (32%); Friends, peers, gossip, &
teasing (21%)
Top 3 coping strategies: Play or do somethingactive (52%); Listen to music (44%); Watch TV
or play video game (42%)Cited in Lantieri, L. (2008).Building emotional intelligence. Boulder, CO: Sounds True, p.12.
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Kaiser Family Foundation Study (2005)On average, a sample of 700 young persons, age 8
- 18, stated that 26 % of the time while using onemedium they were also doing something elsemedia-related at the same time.
30% either talk on the phone, instant message,watch TV, listen to music, or surf the web for funmost of the time they are doing homework;Another 31% say they do so some of the time.
Rideout, V., Roberts, D.F., & Foehr, V.G. (2005). Generation M: Media in the
Lives of 8-18 Year-olds. Kaiser Family Foundation.
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Attention in a Multitasking World Our attention capacity is limited, and multitasking
demands rapid task switching.
The rapid switching between multiple tasks is costly in
time and accuracy.
Switch cost increases with task complexity andunfamiliarity.
In switching from one task to another, the two
complementary executive control stages of goal
shifting and rule activation each take time.
Rubinstein, J. S., Meyer, D. E., & Evans, J. E. (2001). Executive control ofcognitive processes in task switching.Journal of Experimental Psychology:
Human Perception and Performance, 27, 763-797.
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Cognitive Control in Task SwitchingHas a long Developmental Curve
Davidson, M.C., Amso, D., Anderson, L.., & Diamond, A.(2006). Development of cognitivecontrol and executive funtions from 4 to 13 years: Evidence from manipulations of memory,
inhibition, and task switching.Neuropsychologia, 44, 2037-2078.
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The Myth of Multitasking Expertise Examined differences in information processing
styles between heavy and light media multitaskers Results from standard cognitive control tasks
showed that heavy media multitaskers are more
susceptible to interference from irrelevantenvironmental stimuli and irrelevant
representations in memory, and also performed
worse on a test of task-switching (likely due toreduced ability to filter interference from the
irrelevant task set)
Ophir, E., Nass, C, & Wagner, A.D. (2009). Cognitive control in media multitaskers. Proceedings of
the National Academy of Science, www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.0903620106.
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Cognitive-Affective Nature of Executive Control Executive control circuit contains
traditional control areas, such as the
anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) andthe lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC),
in addition to other areas commonly
linked to affect (amygdala) and
motivation (nucleus accumbens).
Diffuse, modulatory effects are
shown in green and originate from
dopamine-rich neurons from the
ventral tegmental area (VTA).
Pessoa, L. (2008). On the relationship between emotion and cognition.Nature ReviewsNeuroscience, 9, 148-158.
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Emotion Regulation Reappraising the meaning &
personal relevance of emotionalimages reduces facial expressiveautonomic physiological, & brain(amygdala) responses
Such emotion regulation has beenshown to be dependent upon regionsin the medial frontal cortex.0
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Time
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Reapprai se Suppres s Watch Gross, J.J. (1998). Antecedent- and response-focused emotion regulation:
Divergent consequences for experience, expression, and physiology.Journal
of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 224-237.
Menchola, M., Kaszniak, A.W., & Burton, K.W. (2008).Interaction between
habitual and voluntary emotion regulation and the chronometry of affectiveresponses. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for
Psychophysiological Research.
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Adolescence, Limbic & PFCDevelopment, and Risky Behavior
Casey, B.J., Jones, R.M., & Hare, T.A. (2008). The adolescent brain.Annals of the New York Academy
of Sciences, 1124, 111-126
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The Voluntary Control of Attention The faculty of voluntarily bringing back a
wandering attention, over and over again, is thevery root of judgment, character, and will. No one
is compos sui if he have it not. An education whichshould improve this faculty would be the education
par excellence. But it is easier to define this ideal
than to give practical directions for bringing itabout.
James, W. (1890/1981). The principles of psychology.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, p. 401.
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Does Meditation Provide SuchEducation?
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What is Meditation?
Two modes of attention:Focused Attention Meditation
Open Monitoring Meditation
Lutz, A., Dunne, J . & Davidson, R. (2007). Meditation and the neuroscience ofconsciousness. In P. Zelazo, M. Moscovitch & E. Thompson, eds., The C am b rid g eHa nd b oo k o f C o nsc io usne ss, Cambridge University Press.
Lutz, A., Slagter, H.A., Dunne, J .D., & Davidson, R.J . (2008). Attention regulation andmonitoring in meditation. Tre nd s in Co g nitive Sc ie nc e s, 12, 163-169.
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Attention & Meditation Practice Jha, et al. (2007) studied
17 participants in 8-week
MBSR training, 17 FA-meditation-experiencedparticipants on month-
long retreat, & 17nonmeditating controls.
Administered Attention
Network Test (ANT) pre-& post training/retreat.
Jha, A., Krimpinger, J., & Baime, M.J. (2007). Mindfulness training modifies subsystems of attention.
Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience 7, 109-119,
Fan, J., McCandliss, B., Sommer, T., Raz, A., & Posner, M. (2002).
Testing the efficiency and independence of attentional networks.
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 143, 340-347.
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Attention & Meditation Practice Participants inMBSR course
improved ability toendogenouslyorient attention
Retreatparticipationfacilitated receptive
attention skills,which improvedexogenous alerting-related process.
Jha, A., Krimpinger, J., & Baime, M.J. (2007). Mindfulness training modifies subsystems of
attention. Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience 7, 109-119.
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Intensive Meditation Training &Attentional Blink Studied 17 participants at
beginning & end of 3-mo.Vipassana (FA & OM)meditation retreat, & 23
novices who meditated 20min. daily for 1 wk priorto each experimental
session Administered the
attentional blink task
Slagter, H.A., Lutz, A.,, Greischar, L.L., Francis, A. Nieuwenhuis,, S., Davis, J.M., &Davidson, R.J. (2007). Mental training affects distribution of limited brain resources. PLoS
Biology, 5 (6), e138. Doi:10.1317/journal.pbio.0050138.
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Attentional Blink & ERP Results Intensive retreat practitioners
showed smaller attentional blink
for T2 (2nd session, afterretreat)
This was associated with ERP
evidence for reduction in brain-
resource allocation to T1
Consistent with reduceddistracter (T1) interference in
meditation practitioners
Slagter, H.A., Lutz, A.,, Greischar, L.L., Francis, A. Nieuwenhuis,, S., Davis, J.M., & Davidson, R.J.
(2007). Mental training affects distribution of limited brain resources. PLoS Biology, 5 (6), e138.
Doi:10.1317/journal.pbio.005013
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Zen & Concept Proliferation
Compared participants with 3+yrs daily Zazen practice to
meditation nave persons All did simple breath attention
meditation while words &
nonwords were flashed Zen meditators showed faster
return to baseline in brain
default network activityassociated with conceptualthought & sense of self
Pagnoni, G., Cekic, M., & Guo, Y. (2008). Thinking about not-thinking: Neural correlates of conceptual
processing during Zen meditation. PLoS ONE 3 (9): e3083. Doc10.1371/journal_pone.00-3083
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EEG Phase Synchrony More widespread gamma frequency (20-80 Hz) EEG synchrony is found for
upright than inverted or scrambledMooney (ambiguous) faces.
Interpreted as reflecting integration of the
computations of different, spatially
distributed feature processing regions in
the brain (conscious perceptual binding).
Rodriguez E, George N, Lachaux JP, Martinerie J, Renault B, Varela FJ. (1999).
Perceptions shadow: long-distance synchronization of human brain activity.Nature,
397,430433.
Trujillo, L.T., Peterson, M.A., Kaszniak, A.W., & Allen, J.A. (2005). EEG phase synchrony
differences across visual perception conditions may depend on recording and analysis
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Phenomenal Clarity & GammaOscillations During Meditation High-amplitude gamma
oscillations emerge over a
time-course of several dozens
of seconds and correlate with
the clarity (phenomenalintensity and vividness) of
meditative experience as
verbally reportedLutz, A. et al. (2006). Changes in the tonic
high-amplitude gamma oscillations during
meditation correlate with long-term
practitioners verbal reports. Posterpresented at theAssociation for the Scientific
Study of Consciousness Annual Meeting,.
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Example: Adept 1V2
Self-report (rating 1-9); Gamma activity
clarity of the mind =phenomenal intensity and
vividness during meditation
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Emotion in Long-Term Zen & Vipassana Meditators Long-term Meditators (>10
years)
Report higher emotionalclarity
Those reporting higherclarity show lower
physiological &experienced arousal, &greater subtle positive
facial expression inresponse to maskedemotional pictures,consistent with regulation
of emotion early in theemotion process.
Clarity
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Nielsen, L., & Kaszniak, A.W. (2006).
Awareness of subtle emotional feelings: A
comparison of long-term meditators and non-
meditators.Emotion, 6, 392-405.
Controls StMeds LtMeds
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Brief Meditation Training, Emotion, &
Immune Response Studied 25 work environment
participants in 8-week MBSRtraining & 16 wait-list controls
Following training, meditatorsshowed decreased traitanxiety, left anterior brainactivation (associated with
positive affect), & increases inantibody titers to influenzavaccine (correlated with left
brain activation)Davidson, R. et al. (2003). Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulnessmeditation. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65, 564-570.
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Empathy for Pain
Observing facial expression
of another in pain activatesareas involved in ones ownaffective response to pain(anterior insula, anteriormedial cingulate)
Lamm, C., Batson, C.D., & Decety, J. (2007). The neural substrate of humanempathy: Effects of perspective-taking and cognitive appraisal.Journal of Cognitive
Neuroscience, 19, 42-58.
Brain Areas Activated by both Experiencing & Observing Pain
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Compassion Meditation in Expert Meditators AltersActivity in Empathy-Related Brain Areas
Expert Vajrayana Buddhist
meditators, compared tonovices, showed greateractivation to emotional distress
vocalizations in insula cortexduring nonrerentialcompassion meditation.
Strength of insula activation
was correlated with self-reported intensity of themeditation
Lutz, A., Brefczynski-Lewis, J., Johnstone, T., & Davidson, R.J. (2008). Regulation of theneural circuitry of emotion by compassion meditation: Effects of meditative expertise.
PLoS ONE, 3(3), e1897. Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.00011897.
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Contemplative EducationAlthough feasibility studies and initial
evaluative data have been reported,empirical studies on contemplative
practice with children in educational
settings are few in number and oftenhave methodological limitations.
Many questions remain, and claims ofeffectiveness are presently premature.
Roeser, R.W., & Peck, S.C. (2009). An education in awareness: Self, motivation, and self-regulated
learning in contemplative perspective.Educational Psychologist, 44, 119-136.
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Thank You