STUDY PROTOCOL

At entry into the study participants were sent a demographic questionnaire (Appendix D) via email. Participants who met the inclusion criteria (18 years or over, full or part- time student), and exclusion criteria (current active mindfulness meditation) were enrolled in the study. Written informed consent was required for all participants before enrolling (Appendix C). Participants were briefed in full before signing the consent form and were aware they could withdraw at any point during the study. At enrolment participants were be randomly allocated (using sealed envelopes) to two groups; a mindfulness training group or an active control group.

Participants attended two laboratory sessions spaced seven days apart. Lab sessions were held from June through to September 2018, which was a mix of end semester, semester break and beginning of semester, with both undergraduate and post-graduate students. The workload questionnaire (Appendix I) was an attempt to capture whether university workloads were equalised across groups. Each laboratory study session lasted 60 to 90 minutes. Figure 7 outlines the overall protocol for each laboratory session. The session details are shown in Table 2. Both session one and two followed the same protocols outlined below with the exception of the different experimental condition briefings. Each participant attended individual sessions with the experimenter at the Pakiri Psychology Lab at the Massey Albany Campus. The lab is quiet and set up to optimise the quality of EMG recordings (Fridlund & Cacioppo, 1986). Each session began with the psychophysiology set up for FEMG and ECG recordings. Once the electrodes were placed the participant was positioned at a cubicle. After five minutes of baseline psychophysiological recordings the participant was instructed to complete the self-report questionnaires. The participant notified the experimenter when the questionnaires were completed and the computer program was initiated. Participants

Psychophysiology Set up Baseline recording

Clip Baseline (no sound)

Emotion Induction Story (Audio clip – Fear/Anger)

SAM Questionnaire

Safety Check - Relaxation Maximal muscle contraction x4 Finish Psychophysiology Trigger Psychophysiology Trigger Psychophysiology Trigger Psychophysiology TriggerEND Remove electrodes Emotion Stroop (Computer Task) Group 1. Mindfulness App Informed Consent Demographic questionnaire Self-report questionnaires (Paper format) Psychophysiology Trigger

Group 2. Active Control List App

Psychophysiology Trigger Psychophysiology

Trigger

Table 2. Laboratory protocols Written Informed Consent

Participants were briefed in full before signing the consent form (Appendix C). Participants were made aware that the study was voluntary and they had the right to withdraw at any point during the study.

Facial electromyography set up

Sensor electrodes were placed on the face to detect the electrical activity from muscle activation. The participant was informed about placing EMG electrodes on their face and asked if they felt comfortable with this protocol before proceeding. The participant was then directed to the bathroom to cleanse their face. A small area of skin is wiped with alcohol to achieve the optimal level of electrode to skin adhesion. The electrodes are 4mm in diameter and attach to the skin with small double-sided sticky pads. A small amount of gel is used on the skin under the electrode for conductance. Seven electrodes were placed on the face: on the cheek (Zygomaticus major), the brow (Corrugator supercilii) and on the forehead (Frontalis). The specific protocols for electrode placement can been viewed in Appendix E.

Electrocardiography set up

Sensors were placed under the clavicle and on the abdomen to record heart rate variability. The participant was informed about ECG electrode placement, and was shown by the experimenter where they would be placed. The participant was asked if they were comfortable with this protocol before proceeding. The participant was asked if they would prefer to place the stickers and electrodes on themselves. Specific protocols for electrode placement can be viewed in Appendix E.

Self-Report Questionnaires

Participants were asked to complete six self-report questionnaires to assess perceived stress (PSS, Appendix H), mindfulness (FMI, Appendix F and FFMQ, Appendix G), current workload (WQ, Appendix I), emotional complexity (RDEES, Appendix J) and positive and negative affect (PANAS, Appendix K).

Emotion Stroop Task

While at the computer, participants were presented with 192 words in one of four colours (black, red, blue or green). The words were a combination of negative emotion words, positive emotion words and neutral words. Participants were required to indicate the colour of the words as quickly as possible using the keyboard. This task lasted approximately 20 minutes.

Emotion induction exercise

Participants completed another PANAS questionnaire for current mood (Appendix L). Four audio clips were then played that were designed to induce mild fear or mild anger. Immediately after listening to each audio clip, the participants recorded their subjective emotional responses using a non-verbal response scale (SAM, Appendix M). Instructions for SAM are presented in Appendix N. After listening to all four audio clips the participant completed a second PANAS to assess change in mood. Appendices O and P include the full story scripts. Participants were randomised to either listen to set A at lab 1 then set B at lab 2 or set B at lab 1 and set A at lab 2. As a safety check, the participant was then asked if they were experiencing any distress and whether they wished to listen to a guided imagery relaxation exercise.

Conclusion

Before the electrodes were removed, the participant was asked to give exaggerated facial expressions (smile, frown and fear) to record maximal muscle contractions. The electrodes were then carefully removed and the participant was briefed according to the experimental protocol.

first performed the Emotion Stroop Task on the computer, which lasted approximately 20 minutes. Next, the participant completed an additional PANAS questionnaire to assess current mood. They then listened to 4 storiesdesigned to induce mild fear or mild anger. After listening to each audio clip the participant was directed to record their subjective emotional responses using the non-verbal response scale SAM. Once all of the stories had finished and each SAM sheet was completed the participant answered a second PANAS questionnaire to assess change in mood. The electrodes were removed and the participant was briefed according to the experimental protocol.

Figure 8. Screenshots of the mindfulness app Stop, Breathe and Think Version 2.0

(Tools-for-Peace, 2014).