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Using First-Person Reports During Meditation to Investigate Basic Cognitive Experience

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Meditation – Neuroscientific Approaches and Philosophical Implications

Part of the book series: Studies in Neuroscience, Consciousness and Spirituality ((SNCS,volume 2))

Abstract

This chapter describes a line of research that seeks to incorporate first-person subjective input into the analysis of meditation-related brain activity and connectivity, as a way to better define and understand everyday mental functions. I present a basic model of naturalistic cognitive fluctuations between mind wandering and attentional states derived from the practice of focused attention meditation. This model proposes four phases in a cognitive cycle: mind wandering, awareness of mind wandering, shifting of attention, and sustained attention. We developed a paradigm to leverage the common experience of awareness of mind wandering during this style of meditation, using subjective reports to drive the analysis of brain imaging data. Results revealed activity in specific brain networks associated with each cognitive phase. Further, participants with more meditation experience exhibited altered patterns of neural activity and resting state functional connectivity compared to participants with less experience. These neural patterns may be involved in the development of cognitive skills such as maintaining attention and disengaging from distraction that are often reported with meditation practice, and suggest mechanisms for how benefits may transfer “off the cushion.” Implications for neurophenomenological investigations are discussed, as well as future directions and possible extensions of the model.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See also the chapter by Austin in this volume.

  2. 2.

    Briefly, the TR containing the button press, as well as the preceding TR, constituted the AWARE phase, corresponding to awareness of mind wandering (3 s total). The two TRs (3 s) before the AWARE phase were cognitively defined as MIND WANDERING, representing loss of focus. The two TRs (3 s) following the AWARE phase made up the SHIFT phase, representing the shifting of attention back to the breath. Finally, the two TRs (3 s) following the SHIFT phase made up the FOCUS phase, representing maintenance of FA on the breath.

  3. 3.

    In functional connectivity analysis, the term “seed” is used to refer to the distinct brain area to which all other brain activity is compared. Brain activity over time is plotted in the seed region, and temporal data from all other points in the brain is correlated with this pattern. If the correlation is strong, a given area is said to have strong functional connectivity with the seed region.

  4. 4.

    This proposal of parallel states of processing may or may not agree with Buddhist theory, depending on tradition. It is proposed here as a result of anecdotal reports collected during the course of the research described herein, as opposed to an attempt to align with any particular textual account.

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Acknowledgments

The author would like to extend warm gratitude to Lawrence Barsalou, John Dunne, Christy Wilson-Mendenhall and Arthur Zajonc for assistance in developing the original research as well as the proposed theoretical extensions described here.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mind & Life Institute, Hadley, MA, 01035, USA

    Wendy Hasenkamp Ph.D.

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  1. Wendy Hasenkamp Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Wendy Hasenkamp Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany

    Stefan Schmidt

  2. Institute for Transcultural Health Scien, European Universtiy Viadrina, Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany

    Harald Walach

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Hasenkamp, W. (2014). Using First-Person Reports During Meditation to Investigate Basic Cognitive Experience. In: Schmidt, S., Walach, H. (eds) Meditation – Neuroscientific Approaches and Philosophical Implications. Studies in Neuroscience, Consciousness and Spirituality, vol 2. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01634-4_5

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