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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 22, 2026

Combining Behavior and EEG to Study the Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Episodic Memory

Combining Behavior and EEG to Study the Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Episodic Memory

Published on: May 11, 2020

"Mind the trap": mindfulness practice reduces cognitive rigidity.

Jonathan Greenberg¹, Keren Reiner, Nachshon Meiran

¹Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. greenbej@bgu.ac.il

|May 23, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Mindfulness practice reduces cognitive rigidity, the tendency to be "blinded" by experience. Studies show meditators and those in mindfulness programs exhibit less reliance on complex solutions, demonstrating greater cognitive flexibility.

Keywords:

Keywords: Mindfulness Meditation, Cognitive Rigidity, Einstellung, Water-Jar Task

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Clinical Psychology
Neuroscience

Background:

Cognitive rigidity, or functional fixedness, can hinder problem-solving.
Mindfulness practice is hypothesized to influence cognitive processes.
The Einstellung water jar task is a common paradigm for assessing cognitive rigidity.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between mindfulness practice and cognitive rigidity.
To determine if mindfulness meditation can reduce the tendency to be "blinded" by prior experience.

Main Methods:

Two experiments utilized a variation of the Einstellung water jar task.
Participants solved water jar problems, with later problems offering simpler solutions.
Rigidity was measured by the perseverance in using a complex formula.
Experiment 1 compared experienced meditators with novices; Experiment 2 used a randomized controlled trial comparing a mindfulness program with a waitlist control.

Main Results:

Experienced mindfulness meditators demonstrated significantly lower cognitive rigidity scores compared to novices.
Participants in an eight-week mindfulness program showed reduced cognitive rigidity compared to a control group.
Mindfulness practice was associated with a decreased tendency to adhere to complex solutions when simpler ones were available.

Conclusions:

Mindfulness meditation effectively reduces cognitive rigidity.
The practice may mitigate the influence of past experience on problem-solving, preventing individuals from overlooking simpler, adaptive strategies.
Findings suggest benefits for mindfulness in clinical and non-clinical settings by enhancing cognitive flexibility.