Lecturer: Marieke van Vugt
Fields: Cognitive science/Contemplative science
Content
In this course, we will combine first- and third-person methods to explore mind-wandering, as well as meditation, which in some conceptions is a way to get to know one’s mind-wandering. We will learn about the scientific studies of mind-wandering and meditation, but also do some practice ourselves, and discussion about what we notice.
Session 1 will mainly explore mind-wandering, how mind-wandering is studied in the laboratory, and involve also a first-person observation of our own mind-wandering.
Session 2 will explore the content and phenomenology of mind-wandering, and how those determine its effects, for example in a psychiatric context. We will also try to change the content or phenomenology of our mind-wandering.
Session 3 will shift attention more to meditation, and we will discuss the different meditation practices that have been distinguished in the scientific literature, as well as trying them out. We will also bring some attention to the role of the body in mind-wandering.
Literature
- Smallwood, J., & Schooler, J. W. (2015). The science of mind wandering: Empirically navigating the stream of consciousness. Annual review of psychology, 66(1), 487-518.
- van Vugt, M. K., Soepa, J., Gyaltsen, J., Gyatso, K., Lodroe, T., Aadhentsang, T., … & Mishra, S. (2023). Using the body to think: an analysis of the cognitive mechanisms underlying Thinking at the Edge and Tibetan monastic debate.
- Kordeš, U., & Demšar, E. (2023). Horizons of becoming aware: Constructing a pragmatic-epistemological framework for empirical first-person research. Phenomenology and the cognitive sciences, 22(2), 339-367.
Lecturer
Marieke van Vugt received her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. She is now an associate professor at the AI department of the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. In her lab, she tries to understand when, how and why we mind-wander, using methods from psychology, neuroscience and AI. She is also interested in the effects of contemplative practices on our mind, especially on our mind-wandering. In addition, she collaborates with Tibetan Buddhist monks on the practice of analytical meditation and monastic debate. Besides her work as an academic, she is also a classical ballet dancer with Amsterdam Amateur Ballet.
Affiliation: University of Groningen
Homepage: https://mkvanvugt.wordpress.com