The Mindfulness Podcast with Dr. David Black
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Episode 30: Using reinforcement schedules to show mindfulness training aids learning
Released June 06, 2023 |
| My guest Professor Phil Reed is University Chair in Psychology at Swansea University in Wales. Dr. Reed's research interests span a wide range of basic and applied topics, including learning and behaviour, schedules of reinforcement, autism, and urogynaecological health. He has authored books, notably "Interventions for Autism: Evidence for Educational and Clinical Practice," published over 300 papers, and has been invited to present his work at numerous international conferences. He currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Learning and Motivation. He and his team have presented research on Women's Health at the National Assembly for Wales, receiving the 'Medal of the President of the Republic' of Italy in 2016 for their scientific contributions to society in this area. He has held appointments for the Departments of Health and Education, the Children in Wales Policy Council, and the EU Commission on the Digital Economy. He regularly contributes articles to Psychology Today. We discuss his new study testing the effect of mindfulness training on response to schedules of reinforcement. Materials discussed: Reed, P. (2023). Focused-attention mindfulness increases sensitivity to current schedules of reinforcement. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition. |
Episode 29: Do mindfulness-based programs help children or not? |
| Dr. Darren Dunning is a Scientist at the University of Cambridge's Medical Research Council, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, and a Senior Research Adviser for the National Institute for Health and Care Research in the UK. His research focuses on mindfulness interventions for children and adolescents. In this interview, we discuss his recent BMJ network publication, which synthesizes research on mindfulness training for child and adolescent cognition and mental health. The results suggest that mindfulness training benefits anxious children but does not show significant improvement for various other conditions. Materials discussed: Dunning, D., Tudor, K., Radley, L., Dalrymple, N., Funk, J., Vainre, M., ... & Dalgleish, T. (2022). Do mindfulness-based programmes improve the cognitive skills, behaviour and mental health of children and adolescents? An updated meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ Mental Health. |
Episode 28: Outpatient buprenorphine treatment plus mindful recovery for opioid use disorder |
| My guest Dr. Zev Schuman-Olivier is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is the Director of the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion as well as the Center for Addiction Research at the Cambridge Health Alliance. He is a board-certified addiction psychiatrist. His research focuses on the treatment of addictive disorders with emphasis on outpatient maintenance therapy for opioid use disorder. We discuss his new proof of concept study that examines the potential benefit of trauma‐informed mindful recovery on comorbid pain, anxiety, and substance use during primary care buprenorphine treatment. Materials discussed: Schuman‐Olivier, Z., Fatkin, T., Creedon, T. B.,...Weiss, R. D. (2022). Effects of a trauma‐informed mindful recovery program on comorbid pain, anxiety, and substance use during primary care buprenorphine treatment: A proof‐of‐concept study. The American Journal on Addictions. Moore, S. K., Okst, K., Smith, L.,...Schuman-Olivier, Z. (2022). “Today I Can Look in the Mirror and Like Myself”: Effects of a Trauma-Informed Mindful Recovery Program on Self-Compassion. Frontiers in Psychology. Fatkin, T., Moore, S. K., Okst, K.,...Schuman-Olivier, Z. (2021). Feasibility and acceptability of mindful recovery opioid use care continuum (M-ROCC): A concurrent mixed methods study. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. Schuman-Olivier, Z., Trombka, M., Lovas, D. A.,...Fulwiler, C. (2020). Mindfulness and behavior change. Harvard Review of Psychiatry. Effect of Mindfulness on Opioid Use and Anxiety During Primary Care Buprenorphine Treatment. NIH R33 Phase. |
Episode 27: Behavioral economics nudge to reduce mindless phone use |
| My guest David Grüning, M.Sc., is a researcher at the Department of Psychology at Heidelberg University and GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences. He is also the lead scientist of one sec and Chair of the Science Board at Prosocial Design Network. His current research focuses on developing digital and app-based interventions to apply psychological mechanisms in online-environments. We discuss his recent article in the Proceedings of the National Academic of Sciences on reducing automatic smartphone consumption by nudging using the app One Sec. Materials discussed: Grüning, D. J., Riedel, F., & Lorenz-Spreen, P. (2023). Directing smartphone use through the self-nudge app one sec. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Thaler, R. H., & Sunstein, C. R. (2021). Nudge: The final edition. Yale University Press: Chicago. |
Episode 26: Mobile app mindfulness therapy for caregivers of older adults with cognitive impairment |
| My guest Dr. Elissa Kozlov is Assistant Professor and the Director of the Population Aging Concentration at the Rutgers School of Public Health. She is a licensed clinical psychologist in New York and New Jersey. Her research investigates strategies to improve the mental health outcomes of older adults and adults with serious illness and their families. She is particularly interested in mHealth strategies to expand the reach of evidence-based mental health interventions. She received a KL2 award to investigate mHealth mindfulness therapy for caregivers of older adults with cognitive impairment. Currently, she is investigating dyadic mHealth mindfulness for older adults with serious illness and their caregivers with support from a Beeson K76 Career Development award from the National Institute on Aging. Materials discussed: Llaneza, D. H., Llaneza, A. J., & Kozlov, E. (2022). Perceived Benefits and Barriers of mHealth Mindfulness Use for Caregivers of Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment: A Qualitative Exploration. Clinical Gerontologist. Piloting an mHealth-delivered mindfulness therapy with patients with serious illness and their caregivers to alleviate symptoms of anxiety. NIH National Institute on Aging 7K76AG068508-02. VA National Center for PTSD. Mindfulness Coach app. |
Episode 25: Amygdala reactivity in adolescents after mindfulness program (guest Dr. Iroise Dumontheil) |
| My guest Dr. Iroise Dumontheil is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience in the Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London. Her research focuses on the typical development of social cognition and cognitive control during adolescence. Her studies combine methods including functional and structural neuroimaging, cognitive and behavioural assessments, and genetics. She is interested in the impact of cognitive training, from computerized games to mindfulness meditation practice, on child and adolescent cognition, as well as the potential implications of neuroscience research for education. We discuss her brain imaging findings after eight weeks of mindfulness training in adolescents 12–14 years of age while they completed an n-back task with emotional face distractors and an attentional control task. Materials discussed: Dumontheil, I. (2016). Adolescent brain development. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences. Dumontheil, I., Lyons, K. E., Russell, T. A., & Zelazo, P. D. (2022). A preliminary neuroimaging investigation of the effects of mindfulness training on attention reorienting and amygdala reactivity to emotional faces in adolescent and adult females. Journal of Adolescence. |
