Investigating the Impact of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Processes of Conceptual, Emotional, and Attitude Change
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Investigating the Impact of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Processes of Conceptual, Emotional, and Attitude Change John B. Chancey 1
&
Benjamin C. Heddy 2 & Marie Lippmann 3 & Diana Meek 2
Received: 6 April 2020 / Accepted: 5 October 2020 # Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract Through three separate studies, our research explored whether a mindfulness-based intervention could facilitate processes of conceptual change by evoking a heightened state of cognitive engagement with controversial topics in science including Genetically Modified Foods (Study One), Human-Induced Climate Change, (Study Two), and Fluoridated Water (Study Three). We used Dole and Sinatra’s (Educational Psychologist 33:109–128, 1998) Cognitive Reconstruction of Knowledge Model (CRKM) to operationalize conceptual change, focusing on knowledge, attitude, and emotional change during conceptual change. Using a pre and post design, in Studies One and Two, participants received a single-shot mindfulness intervention. Based upon the findings from Studies One and Two, we modified the design intervention for Study Three to include a mobile app–based mindfulness intervention to allow for more practice between pre and post data collection. Results of Study One revealed a significant difference on attitude change, however, in favor of the control condition. Results of Study Two revealed no significant differences between conditions. Results of Study Three were also null. The findings have implications for mindfulness and conceptual change strategies. Our null findings potentially suggest that the mindfulness interventions used were not potent enough, in terms of length and content, to generate the type of mindful engagement we predicted would occur. Keywords Mindfulness . Conceptual change . Emotions . Attitude . Knowledge
What Is Mindfulness? The topic of mindfulness has recently gained traction in the field of education (Schonert-Reichl and Roeser 2016). According to Kabat-Zinn (2003), mindfulness is defined as present moment awareness without judgment. Developing the skills mindfulness is associated with breathing meditation (Gunaratana 2002). Breathing meditation can be developed through two strategies, focused attention meditation, directing one’s attention towards a singular object such as the breath, and open-monitoring, observing all experiences—good, bad, or neutral, as they occur without reactivity (Lutz et al. 2008).
While mindfulness is commonly associated with spiritual practices like Buddhism, secular forms of mindfulness training are finding their way into a variety of settings, including schools (Jennings 2016), psychotherapy (Lukoff and StrozziHeckler 2017), and hospitals (Younge et al. 2015). Mindfulness, according to Garland et al. (2009), requires a large degree of cognitive engagement in order to remain grounded in the present moment. Mindfulness as a form of effortful cognitive engagement spurred our investigation into the topic of conceptual change. Our belief was that by purposefully focusing on t
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