Holzel et al
strengths (tips on how to answer below!!!!)
Reliability
A strength is High in reliability which means the consistency of a
measure remains the same after multiple attempts. The study is
conducted in a laboratory setting which tends to follow a standardized
procedure for example, all participants were scanned before and after
with MRI scans, all had to do an MBSR course for the same time period
of 8 weeks, all had to complete a single session for 2.5 hours, all had to
learn 3 main mindfulness exercises, all were given a 45 min guided
exercise to practice as homework and all had to complete the FFMQ
questionnaire before and after doing the MBSR sessions. These
standardisations allow for another researcher to be able to replicate
the study and have similar findings increasing the overall reliability of
the study.
Application to real-life
Another strength is that the study is applicable to real-life situations;
this means the findings of this study can be used and implemented in
everyday life situations to help people. For example, the results can be
useful for people experiencing memory problems affecting their lives,
these individuals can be enrolled in an MBSR-style program to help
them increase their grey matter density in the hippocampus which can
lead to more efficient memory, additionally can be used for people
looking to improve their emotional regulation for stress, anxiety, anger
to avoid releasing tension and pressure that have been stored in the
body which affects the individuals interpersonal relations so through
MBSR people can learn techniques such as meditation which will
increase their grey matter density in insula helping them be more
aware of their emotions.
Weaknesses
Population validity