Age significantly moderates MBI effects on executive functions across all RCTs (larger benefits with older age) and on negative behaviour in active-control RCTs (larger benefits with younger age)¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · quant-synthesis r3 · q3
Currency · newest study 2019 · checked against its sources 2026-10-17 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Across all 33 RCTs, age significantly moderated improvements in Executive Functions (Q = 5.60, p = .018), with larger effect sizes associated with older age. → Dunning 2019 q3 i? In the 17 active-control RCTs, age significantly moderated improvements in Negative Behaviour (Q = 5.27, p = .021), with larger effect sizes associated with younger age. → Dunning 2019 (2)

Evidence¶

Dunning 2019¶

Dunning, D. L., Griffiths, K., Kuyken, W., Crane, C., Foulkes, L., Parker, J., & Dalgleish, T. (2019). Research Review: The effects of mindfulness-based interventions on cognition and mental health in children and adolescents – a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12980

q3 · i? · quant-synthesis · r3

Random effects meta-regression across all 33 RCTs testing age as a moderator. The review reports age "was a significant moderator of improvements in Executive Functions" favouring older participants; no effect size is printed for the moderation.

"individual, random effects meta-regressions showed that age was a significant moderator of improvements in Executive Functions (Q = 5.60, p = .018), with larger effect sizes in favour of the MBI associated with older age."

Dunning 2019 (2)¶

Dunning, D. L., Griffiths, K., Kuyken, W., Crane, C., Foulkes, L., Parker, J., & Dalgleish, T. (2019). Research Review: The effects of mindfulness-based interventions on cognition and mental health in children and adolescents – a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12980

q3 · i? · quant-synthesis · r3

Meta-regression within the 17 active-control RCTs. The review reports that "age significantly moderated improvements in Negative Behaviour" with larger effects for younger children, despite the overall null effect in that category.

"For the 17 RCTs with active control groups, age significantly moderated improvements in Negative Behaviour ( Q = 5.27, p = .021), with larger effect sizes associated with younger age."

Studies bearing on this claim¶

Does the effect of school mindfulness programmes depend on the learner's age? This table gathers the studies behind this claim and the 1 narrower claims that bear on it: 2 distinct studies (2 quant-synthesis), q3, 0 of 2 with an effect size coded. One row per study, codes as each entry records them; no effect is averaged and no verdict is drawn. Built by scripts/synthesize_claim.py from eval/synthesis/; a row that looks wrong is fixed on the claim it comes from.

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Attention — moderator: an instructional effect differs with it
• Age and Developmental Stage — moderator: an instructional effect differs with it
• Executive Function — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• CCT shows no significant effects on executive functions or attention in healthy older adults — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• Across all RCTs, mindfulness-based interventions significantly improve mindfulness, executive functioning, attention, depression, anxiety/stress and negative behaviours in youth, with small effect sizes — related
• When only RCTs with active control groups are analysed, MBI benefits are restricted to Mindfulness (d = .42), Depression (d = .47) and Anxiety/Stress (d = .18) — related
• Effect sizes vary by control group type, with wait-list controls yielding the largest mean effect and no-contact controls the smallest — related
• Mindfulness interventions delivered during late adolescence (15–18) show the largest effects on youth mental health and well-being outcomes — related
• Younger children performed more redundant actions than older children — related
• Attitude effects of innovative teaching decrease with student grade level — related