In the study by Hölzel et al. (mindfulness and brain scans), some participants took part in formal mindfulness training. This included yoga, meditation and body scan.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Feb/Mar 2025). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [2] Sequentially guided through (entire) body
2. Be aware of sensations in all regions of the body.
3. Observe this with non-judgemental awareness.
4. End point is awareness of the body 'as a whole'.
5. [2] The use of self-reports may lead to social desirability (1 mark: identification). The Ps may complete the FFMQ in a way to make it look like they were partaking in MBSR more than they were (1 mark: example)
6. Not all participants were protected from psychological harm (1 mark: identification). Some Ps withdrew from the brain scan as they did not like it (1 mark: example)
7. There are other creditworthy weaknesses, including sample generalisability; social interactions during the course affecting grey matter (and not MBSR), lack of standardisation affecting reliability, other ethical issues (e.g., control group not getting help), lack of correlation between FFMQ and GMC etc.