Investigasi Peran Mindful Media pada Penggunaan Media Virtual Keagamaan

In the era of digitalization, virtual media users are required to use religious virtual media mindfully to minimize errors in receiving and disseminating religious information. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the role of mindful media in the use of religious virtual media. The research method is a quantitative method with a correlational approach. The results on 169 subjects showed a negative correlation between mindful media and religious virtual media (p = 0.000 and r = -0.345). The study also found a simultaneous positive relationship between awareness and attention to the use of religious virtual media (p = 0.000) with a contribution of 16.6%. Accordingly, the role of mindful media in the form of the presence of awareness and attention of users is simultaneously able to control the use of religious virtual media. AbstrakDi era digitalisasi, para pengguna media virtual dituntut menggunakan media virtual keagamaan secara mindful untuk meminimalisir kesalahan penerimaan dan penyebaran informasi keagamaan. Sehingga, tujuan dari penelitian ini yaitu untuk mengetahui peran mindful media pada penggunaan media virtual keagamaan. Jenis metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode kuantitatif dengan pendekatan korelasional. Hasil penelitian pada 169 subjek menunjukkan adanya korelasi negatif antara mindful media dengan media virtual keagamaan (p = 0.000 dan r = -0.345). Penelitian juga menemukan hubungan positif secara simultan antara kesadaran dan perhatian terhadap penggunaan media virtual keagamaan (p = 0.000) dengan kontribusi 16.6%. Dengan demikian, maka peran mindful media berupa presensi kesadaran dan perhatian pengguna secara bersamaan mampu mengontrol penggunaan media virtual keagamaan.Kata Kunci: kesadaran; mindful media; penggunaan media virtual keagamaan;                        perhatia

Video game interaction related to increased present attention in college students

Videogames de ação exigem do jogador nível de atenção alto e reações psicomotoras quase automáticas. Portanto, o objetivo do presente estudo foi verificar a relação entre quantidade de horas de interação com videogames de ação e a autoconsciência privada e a atenção ao momento presente. Foram recrutados 1.315 universitários (M = 21,6 anos; DP = 2,7), que responderam ao Questionário de Uso de Entretenimento e Informação Digital, à Escala de Autorreflexão e Insight e à Escala de Atenção e Consciência Plena. A análise estatística (Testes de Kruskal-Wallis e Post-Hoc de Dunn) indicou relação entre quantidade de horas de interação com videogames, atenção ao presente e autorreflexão. Conclui-se que jogar videogames de ação regularmente e por um determinado período relaciona-se a menor predisposição em voltar a atenção para si mesmo e a menor impulsividade, porém à maior propensão a focar experiências cotidianas (atenção ao presente).Los videojuegos de acción exigen del jugador alto nivel de atención y reacciones psicomotoras casi automáticas. Por lo tanto, el objetivo de este estudio fue verificar la relación entre cantidad de horas de interacción con videojuegos de acción y la autoconciencia privada y la atención al momento presente. Se reclutaron a 1.315 universitarios (M = 21,6 años; DE = 2,7), que contestaron la Encuesta de Uso de Entretenimiento e Información Digital, a la Escala de Autorreflexión e Insight y a la Escala de Atención y Conciencia Plena. El análisis estadístico (Pruebas de Kruskal-Wallis y Post-Hoc de Dunn) indicó una relación entre cantidad de horas de interacción con videojuegos, atención al presente y autorreflexión. Se concluye que quien juega videojuegos de acción regularmente y por determinado período tiene menos predisposición en volver la atención a sí mismo y menos impulsividad, aunque más propensión a enfocarse en experiencias cotidianas (atención al presente).Action video games require a high level of attention and almost automatic psychomotor reactions from the player. Therefore, this study aims to verify the relationship between the amount of hours of interaction with action video games and private self-awareness and attention to the present moment. In total, 1,315 college students were recruited (M = 21.6 years; SD = 2.7), who responded to the Digital Entertainment and Information Use Questionnaire, the Self-Reflection and Insight Scale, and the Full Attention and Awareness Scale. Statistical analysis (Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn’s Post-Hoc Tests) indicated a relationship between hours of video game interaction, attention to the present, and self-reflection. It is concluded that playing action video games regularly and for a certain period of time is related to a lower predisposition to turn attention to oneself and to lower impulsivity, but to a higher disposition to focus on everyday experiences (attention to the present)

Cortisol Administration Normalizes Aberrant Functional Connectivity in Women with Depression

Previous resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) research has identified aberrant connectivity in several large brain networks in depression, including the default mode (DMN), frontoparietal (FPN), and salience networks (SN). Connectivity of these networks is also related to depressive symptom severity and is affected by cortisol levels. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the effects of acute cortisol administration on rsFC of DMN, FPN, and SN in individuals varying in depression history and severity. We collected resting-state fMRI scans for 74 women with and without a history of depressive disorder after administration of cortisol and placebo using a double-blind, crossover design. We conducted seed-based rsFC with seed regions from the DMN, FPN, and SN to examine the relationship between rsFC changes in these networks after cortisol, with depression history group predicting changes in rsFC after cortisol vs. placebo. To investigate rsFC changes in DMN, FPN, and SN due to the administration of cortisol as a function of depression severity we assessed the relationship between Beck Depression Inventory-II scores and rsFC changes in the networks of interest after cortisol vs. placebo administration for the entire sample. Results revealed that those with a history of depression exhibited increased connectivity between the left amygdala of the SN and left medial temporal gyrus of the DMN regardless of treatment. Further, we found that those who received cortisol had increased connectivity between the anterior insula of the SN and regions within the SN and DMN. Lastly, we found an interaction between depression symptom severity and rsFC between the PCC of the DMN and the right cerebellum of the SN, with greater depression symptoms associated with increased rsFC of the PCC and cerebellum. These findings are the first to show that women with greater depression severity may be more likely to normalize aberrant connectivity of DMN and SN regions after acute cortisol administration. Our results could help inform clinical treatments for depression that naturally increase endogenous cortisol levels and efficiency of glucocorticoid receptors, such as long-term daily exercise. Overall, these findings contribute to the literature on the neurobiological effects of exogenous cortisol in depression

Does dispositional mindfulness predict perceived stress in daily life?

Chronic stress in the mind-body system leads to frequent activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and sympathetic-adreno-medullar axes, creating excessive inflammation. This in turn increases a person’s vulnerability for a host of conditions that take root in the “common soil” of inflammation including anxiety disorders, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, major depressive disorder, obesity, asthma, and even the common cold. Mindful awareness, a purposeful, present moment awareness that is non-judgmental, likely serves as a protective factor against perceived stress. According to the mindfulness-to-meaning theory, open attention and awareness, a component of mindfulness, allows a person to dis-identify from a difficult situation and flexibly reappraise the event, interrupting default schemas to interpret the potential stressor within a fuller context. Previous studies have found a negative relationship between open attention and awareness and perceived stress. However, yet to be thoroughly tested is the theory that open attention and awareness can prospectively predict lower perceived stress in natural settings. The current study examined a sample of 73 undergraduate students using a daily diary design to better understand and predict perceived stress in response to difficult events. Participants completed a baseline survey capturing their demographics, levels of open attention and awareness, self-compassion, and neuroticism. Then, participants completed one week of daily surveys in which they indicated their levels of perceived stress and the number of difficult events they experienced that day. Regression analysis showed that open attention and awareness negatively predicted average perceived stress prospectively over the course of the week, even controlling for neuroticism. Using a multilevel modeling approach, several significant between- and within-subject variables were shown to predict daily fluctuations in perceived stress. The number of difficult events that a participant reported, relative to their own average, was a positive predictor of perceived stress. Open attention and awareness negatively predicted daily fluctuations in perceived stress, controlling for the effects of time, number of difficult events, and neuroticism. To test the theory that open attention and awareness may protect against the impact of difficult events in daily life on perceived stress, the interaction between open attention and awareness and daily difficult events was tested but proved non-significant. Visual analysis showed modest support for the moderation hypothesis. Finally, to better understand the relationship between open attention and awareness and perceived stress, self-compassion was tested as a possible mediator, this also proved non-significant. Results add to the mounting evidence that open attention and awareness is a significant predictor of perceived stress, including in natural settings and with a prospective time course. Findings presented here support the use of interventions that increase open attention and awareness, such as MBSR and MBCT, in clinical settings to lower perceived stress. Other healthcare professionals who are concerned about a patient’s stress-related health conditions, or physical conditions that are adversely impacted by stress, should consider administering measures of open attention and awareness and referring those with lower scores to mindfulness-based interventions including MBSR

Psychedelics and psychological strengths

Classical psychedelics appear efficacious in improving psychological well-being in randomized clinical trials, but their effects in the population at large are relatively unknown. In the present paper, which includes three studies conducted by online survey with a collective 3,157 participants, classical psychedelic users showed greater psychological strengths and well-being, and lower levels of distress, after controlling for demographic variables, respondents’ beliefs about the potential benefits of psychedelics, and their use of other psychoactive drugs. These benefits contrast with patterns for cannabis and alcohol users, both of whom showed comparatively maladaptive profiles. Reported relationships between psychedelic use and the combined index of psychological strengths was fully mediated by self-transcendence. We show an effect of motivation for psychedelic use, where those who reported a ‘growth’ motivation showed the most robustly adaptive psychological profile. Psychedelic users reported more lifetime meditation experience, and within psychedelic users, greater frequency of use correlated with greater hours of lifetime seated meditation practice. Meditation experience did not account for the differences in strengths, well-being, and distress. In these studies, psychedelic users showed an adaptive psychological pattern on a wider array of strengths than previously studied, which were not attributable to several salient covariates. While causality cannot be inferred from this study, findings align with and advance past research which provides evidence for the potential benefits associated with psychedelics

Trait Mindfulness and Functional Connectivity in Cognitive and Attentional Resting State Networks

Mindfulness has been described as an orienting of attention to the present moment, with openness and compassion. Individuals displaying high trait mindfulness exhibit this tendency as a more permanent personality attribute. Given the numerous physical and mental health benefits associated with mindfulness, there is a great interest in understanding the neural substrates of this trait. The purpose of the current research was to examine how individual differences in trait mindfulness associated with functional connectivity in five resting-state networks related to cognition and attention: the default mode network (DMN), the salience network (SN), the central executive network (CEN), and the dorsal and ventral attention networks (DAN and VAN). Twenty-eight undergraduate participants completed the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), a self-report measure of trait mindfulness which also provides scores on five of its sub-categories (Observing, Describing, Acting with Awareness, Non-judging of Inner Experience, and Non-reactivity to Inner Experience). Participants then underwent a structural MRI scan and a 7-min resting state functional MRI scan. Resting-state data were analyzed using independent-component analyses. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was performed to determine the relationship between each resting state network and each FFMQ score. These analyses indicated that: (1) trait mindfulness and its facets showed increased functional connectivity with neural regions related to attentional control, interoception, and executive function; and (2) trait mindfulness and its facets showed decreased functional connectivity with neural regions related to self-referential processing and mind wandering. These patterns of functional connectivity are consistent with some of the benefits of mindfulness—enhanced attention, self-regulation, and focus on present experience. This study provides support for the notion that non-judgmental attention to the present moment facilitates the integration of regions in neural networks that are related to cognition, attention, and sensation

Real-time fMRI neurofeedback and smartphone-based interventions to modulate mental functions

Our brains are constantly changing on a molecular level depending on the demands thrown at them by our environments, behavior, and thoughts. This neuronal plasticity allows us to voluntarily influence mental functions. Taking conscious control over mental functions goes potentially back millenia, but it was psychotherapy since the early 20th century which moulded this concept into a concrete form to target specific mental disorders. Mental disorders constitute a large burden on modern societies. Stress-related disorders like anxiety and depression particularly make up a large part of this burden and new ways to treat or prevent them are highly desirable, since traditional approaches are not equally helpful to every person affected. This might be because the infrastructure is not available where the person lives, their schedules and obligations or financial means do not enable them to seek help or they simply do not respond to traditional forms of treatment. Technological advances bring forth new potential approaches to modulate mental functions and allow using additional information to tailor an intervention better to an individual patient. The focus of this dissertation lies on two promising approaches to cognitively intervene and modulate mental functions: real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback (rtfMRInf) on one hand and smartphone-based interventions (SBIs) on the other. To investigate various aspects of both these methods in the context of stress and in relation to personalized interventions, we designed and conducted two experiments with a main rtfMRInf intervention, and also with ambulatory training of mental strategies, which participants accessed on their mobile phones. The four publication this thesis entails, are related to this topic as follows: The first publication focuses on rtfMRInf effects on the physiological stress response, exploring whether neurofeedback could reduce stress-related changes in brain activity and blood pressure. The second publication focuses on rtfMRInf effects on psychological measures related to the stress response, namely on arousal and mood, based on data from self-report by the participants. The third publication focuses on rtfMRInf methodology itself, looking at complex connectivity data between major neural networks. Finally, the fourth publication focuses on personalized prediction of intervention success of an SBI using data from previous training days

Neuroimaging pain and analgesia mechanisms in experimental and chronic pain states

Chronic pain is a common and debilitating condition, affecting up to half of the UK population. Despite the use of both pharmacological and psychological/cognitive interventions, it is difficult to treat, and there is a clear need for new, effective therapies. The subjective nature of pain reporting makes the discovery and validation of new treatments challenging, but this could be improved by the presence of an objective biomarker of analgesic efficacy. In this thesis I looked at the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as such a biomarker, and as a technique for understanding the mechanisms by which interventions might achieve therapeutic effects. This was achieved through the investigation of two novel treatments for pain, the first being a pharmacological agent, and the second a cognitive therapy. A randomised controlled trial was set up comparing ABX-1431, a first-in-class pharmacological agent that acts on the endocannabinoid system, with both placebo and nothing. Although it was not possible to show analgesic efficacy using behavioural outcomes, the presence of sedation in the active drug arm indicated a likely pharmacodynamic effect. It was possible to confirm this effect using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Since the mechanism of action did not match that of existing analgesic agents, it was not possible to confirm analgesic efficacy, but the presence of altered activity in and connectivity between regions known to have a key role in descending pain modulation, including the lateral prefrontal cortex and right amygdala, indicates that ABX-1431 could impact chronic pain through these mechanisms, and that further trials are warranted. Next, a prospective study of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for irritable bowel syndrome (MBCT-IBS) was performed, in which behavioural data showed that it was an effective therapy for chronic visceral pain. Imaging showed that like ABX-1431, MBCT-IBS led to altered activity in regions of the brain known to have a role in descending pain modulation, including the right amygdala and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. There was evidence of modulated functional connectivity between these regions and other cortical and subcortical regions important for pain perception. Activity and connectivity within the default mode network (DMN) was also affected, as was connectivity between the DMN and sensory cortices, indicating that MBCT-IBS might act by modulating intrinsic attentional networks as well as by influencing the top-down control of pain. In combination, these studies have shown that fMRI is a valuable tool for elucidating the mechanisms of novel analgesic therapies across both pharmacological and cognitive modalities. The fact that neither intervention produced the imaging pattern seen in classical analgesia meant that fMRI was unable to provide an objective biomarker of efficacy on this occasion, but in both cases it was possible to show clear mediation of neural function in regions relating to descending pain control. It may be that in chronic pain, an objective biomarker of efficacy will look different to that seen in acute pain, and this is something worthy of further investigation

Cognitive processes in Design Thinking: Optimization of perception, processing and reasoning

This dissertation documents a research endeavour into the cognitive processes in Design Thinking. The goal was to identify the optimal way to think in the various phases of a Design Thinking project. The research draws on the findings in design, positive psychology, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience to analyse the Design Thinking process and tomap and match thinking modes with the phases of the process. The fundamental literature review covers three topics: The research into Design Thinking provides a comprehensive insight into the method and its scientific fundament. Then, creativity as a social product and the cognitive processes relevant to creativity are documented. Thirdly, emotion and its relation to creativity and the Limbic® Map approach are presented. Finally, automatic emotion recognition with deep learning based artificial intelligence algorithms are introduced. The first stages of empirical research revealed that emotions and other affective states are unworkable for reliable research results. Similarly, it could be shown that “mindset” has no scientifically approved definition, making the concept unsuitable for robust research. Further research identified five pairs of cognitive functions needed in Design Thinking. Three pairs address information processing (Acquisition of Data, Alignment of Perception, and Assessment of Information and Ideas), and two address flow control of cognition (Attention to a specific task and Awareness of the Cognitive Process). The research further investigated methods to activate and guide the cognitive functions in a project. Moreover, the importance of including creative professionals in a Design Thinking process was revealed. Research in neuroscience indicates specific abilities of creative people identifiable in the very brain network connections. The research also discovered new insights into the “Groan Zone”. The findings indicate that a change in the attitude and approach to the “Groan Zone” could considerably change the outcome of a Design Thinking project.Esta dissertação documenta um esforço de pesquisa sobre os processos cognitivos em Design Thinking. Teve como objetivo identificar a forma ideal de pensar, nas várias fases de um projeto de Design Thinking. O design, a neurociência, as psicologias positiva e cognitiva, servem de base para analisar o processo de Design Thinking, mapeando e relacionando modos de pensamento com fases do processo. A revisão da literatura cobre: Uma visão mais abrangente do método do Design Thinking, suas origens e fundamentação científica. A criatividade como um produto social e os seus processos cognitivos mais relevantes. A relação entre emoção e criatividade e a abordagem Limbic® Map. Finalmente, são introduzidos métodos de reconhecimento automático da emoção com algoritmos de inteligência artificial, baseados em deep learning. Uma fase de investigação empírica, revelou que as emoções e os outros estados afetivos não são adequados para esta investigação. Pode demonstrar-se ainda que “mentalidade” não possui uma definição cientificamente consensual, tornando o conceito incredível para a investigação. Investigações semelhantes, identificam cinco pares de funções cognitivas necessárias. Três deles, abordam o processamento de informações (Aquisição de Dados, Alinhamento da Perceção e Avaliação de Informações e Ideias) e dois abordam o controle do fluxo cognitivo (Atenção a uma tarefa específica e Consciência do Processo Cognitivo). Aplicaram-se métodos para ativar e guiar as funções cognitivas, num projeto de Design Thinking. Revelou-se a importância de incluir profissionais criativos no processo, pois uma pesquisa em neurociência indica habilitações específicas de pessoas criativas, nas conexões neuronais do seu cérebro. Novos contributos na “Groan Zone”, indicaram que uma mudança de atitude no momento “Groan Zone”, poderá alterar consideravelmente o resultado de um projeto de Design Thinking