New Laboratory of Experimental Psychology

This week saw the launch of a new study on attention and mindfuless carried out by final year projects Catalina Adrover, Sofía Soto and Mar Niñals, with the additional help of Inés Kefauver and Alicia Leiva, and under the direction of Fabrice Parmentier. These students did a great job recruiting and testing over 100 participants on 7 questionnaires and 4 computerized cognitive task... in just 4 days! This study was also the first our group carried out in the new Laboratory of Experimental Psychology.

The data collected will allow us to study the relationship between dispositional mindfulness, attentional control, emotional regulation, mental dispersion and distraction in four cognitive tasks. Mindfulness can be defined as"paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and non judgmentally" (Jon Kabat-Zin). While some studies have found positive effects of mindfulness induced by meditation practice or training programs on some attentional functions, little is known regarding the effect of dispositional mindfulness, that is, the level of mindfulness characteristics naturally exhibited by individuals. Our study will explore this issue across three distinct final year projects, each focusing on a different angle of research.