Student Research
Contemplative Studies Research Lab Year 2.5
Julia Bond CSRL 2.5 – The Relationship between Attention and Behavior in Meditation-Trained Moses Brown Students
Julia Bond provides an overview of the link between attention and behavioral problems in middle-school aged children, and then discusses her research on the relationship between performance on the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) and self-reported problem behaviors.
Sam Miller and Ellie Hastings CSRL 2.5 – Actual Sleep vs. Perceptions of Sleep
Sam Miller and Ellie Hastings discuss how men and women differ in estimation of sleep as compared to their actual amount of sleep. Possible clinical implications are discussed.
Contemplative Studies Research Lab Year 2
Contemplative Studies Research Lab (CSRL) Presentations Year II – Introduction
Dr. Willoughby Britton discusses the contemplative studies initiative, contemplative practice and the Cheetah House, and contemplative science including ethics. She also reviews active studies at the Britton Lab
Annie Brown CSRL II – Meditation and Social Connection
Annie Brown discusses loneliness and reports on her research from the Meditation Labs study on the effect of meditation on perceived social support and the relationship between this variable and mindfulness and self-compassion.
Josh Himmelfarb CSRL II — Perfectionism, Meditation Dosage, and Depression Outcome
Josh Himmelfarb presents on perfectionism as a predictor of home meditation practice in a mindfulness-based intervention. The relationship between perfectionism and depression outcome is also discussed.
Sam Miller CSRL II — Music and Meditation
Sam Miller compares the effect of meditation practice to the effect of musical training on attention, acceptance/self-compassion, and emotional regulation.
Tom Rocha CSRL II — Meditation in Sixth Graders
Tom Rocha presents on contemplative education and the results of a meditation intervention in the Moses Brown schools. Gender-specific meditation effects are highlighted.
Contemplative Studies Research Lab Year 1
Intro to Contemplative Studies Research Lab (CSRL) Presentations Year I
Dr. Willoughby Britton introduces the contemplative studies program and active research studies at the Britton Lab.
Maria Capecelatro CSRL I – Depression History and Spontaneous Word Use
Maria Capecalatro reviews her research comparing the effect of current depression status to the effect of depression history on spontaneous word recall after viewing depression-related images.
Doug Roberts-Wolfe CSRL I – Meditation and Information Processing Bias
Doug Roberts-Wolfe discusses information processing biases and mindfulness. Doug then reviews his research on the effect of meditation on information processing bias, measured through differential word recall of positive and negative words in meditation and control groups.
Gina Silverstein CSRL I – Meditation and Female Embodiment
Gina Silverstein presents her research on the effect of meditation on sexual response time (SRT) in women, and the relationship between SRT and cognitive interference. Implications for female sexual health are discussed.
Nathaniel Lepp CSRL I – Moses Brown Study
Nathaniel Lepp, co-investigator of the Moses Brown study, discusses the convergence of Eastern spiritual practice and Western medical practice. He provides an overview of contemplative education and reviews the history of the Moses Brown study and major results from the study.
Matt Sacchet CSRL I –Lit Review: Neuroimaging and Meditation
Matt Sacchet talks about being an independent studies contemplative science concentrator. Matt also reviews neuroimaging studies on meditation and their methodology in the context of the Buddhist meditation tradition.
Alicia Adams CSLR I – Childhood Trauma and Adult Brain Function
Alicia Adams discusses the physiology of stress and her research on the effect of childhood trauma on the stress response in adults.
Lab Introductory Videos
Lab Intro VIdeo: MBDRP Part 1/3
Lab Intro Video: MBDRP Part 2/3
Lab Intro Video: MBDRP Part 3/3
This study was a 3-year NIH-funded randomized controlled trial of MBCT in recurrent depression which aimed to identify the neurophysiological changes associated with mindfulness training and which changes were associated with sustained recovery 1 year later.
Lab Intro Video: Medlabs and Moses Brown Study Review Part 1/3
Lab Intro Video: Medlabs and Moses Brown Study Review Part 2/3
Lab Intro Video: Medlabs and Moses Brown Study Review Part 3/3
Meditation Training in Sixth Graders and Meditation Labs at Brown University
Lab Intro Video: Contemplative Science
Introduction to Britton Lab Video , Contemplative Science: Dr. Willoughby Britton discusses ethics and contemplative science. Research work at the lab is placed within a larger framework of service, meaning, and the relief of suffering.
Dr. Britton’s Research
When Empirical Science Trumps Popular Assumptions: The Case of Meditation and Sleep
Dr. Willoughby Britton reviews her dissertation on the effects of meditation on sleep: contrary to many claims in the popular media, meditation increased — rather than decreased — night time wakefulness. The relationship between night time wakefulness and depression is discussed.
Adverse Effects
Adverse Effects and Difficult Stages of the Contemplative Path
Chris Oates – Adverse Effects of Meditation
Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) – Pete Hitchcock
Miscellaneous Lab Videos
For additional videos, please visit the BrittonLab Vimeo site at:
http://www.vimeo.com/brittonlab
