THE EFFECTS OF A BRIEF MINDFULNESS TRAINING EXERCISE ON PARTICIPANTS’ ABILITY TO TAKE DATA ON HIGH RATE BEHAVIOR

Author

Thomas Anthony Scolarici, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

12-1-2015

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Behavior Analysis and Therapy

First Advisor

Dixon, Mark

Abstract

Mindfulness exercises have been reported to increase performance for a number of different populations; however there are no reports that have investigated the effects of brief mindfulness exercises on data collection. This study will exposed participants to a brief mindfulness exercise and subsequently measure participants’ ability to accurately take data on high rate behavior. A concurrent multiple baseline design was used with three participants. During baseline phases participants recorded data on the occurrence of congruent and incongruent stimuli within a Stroop presentation. Treatment phases contained a brief mindful eating video and then participants completed the Stroop presentation. Data sheets completed by the participants were scored for overall accuracy, as well as accuracy for congruent and incongruent stimuli. Participants completed a Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) at the end of all sessions. Results indicated that MAAS scores increased during mindfulness sessions for all participants when compared to baseline phases. Overall accuracy as well as accuracy for congruent and incongruent stimuli in the Stroop presentation increased for all three participants compared to baseline sessions. The findings from this research have potential applications for improving performance for data collection methods and increasing self-reported mindfulness.