Center for Healthy Minds

This project involves three interrelated studies attempting to broaden the methods by which the research community measures mindfulness and moving beyond self-report methodologies. 

The current project includes:

• The validation of an instructor-rated measure of mindfulness
• An examination of the convergent validity of a self-report measure of mindfulness practice quality with a behavioral measure of mindfulness
• An assessment of expert and naïve raters’ ability to detect the effects of both short- and long-term mindfulness training    

 These first two projects will draw participants from ongoing mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) classes. The research includes the development of a brief instrument designed to assess instructors’ perceptions of their students’ level of trait mindfulness. In addition, a self-report measure of practice quality will be collected and examined in relation to participants’ self-reported trait mindfulness, instructor-rated mindfulness and behavioral mindfulness (i.e., breath counting).   

The third project will use images drawn from a larger study that includes long-term meditation practitioners and participants randomly assigned to receive MBSR, the Health Enhancement Program or a waitlist control condition. Still photographs will be rated by naïve observers and meditation instructors to examine the extent to which raters can detect pre-post intervention changes or the effects of long-term meditation practice.