¶ … Mindfulness Meditation Training on Experimentally Induced Pain" by Zeidan et al., (2010), published in the Journal of Pain, presents the results of research to investigate The research addresses a gap in the research examining the benefit of meditation in attenuating pain symptoms. The research problem is clearly articulated, with the title clearly stating the content of the paper and the introduction expressing and justifying the issue. Past research has demonstrated that meditation programs, such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programs have been correlated with positive health outcomes, including pain attenuation. The most common form of program is the MBSR. In the context of pain management the eight-week length of the program renders it difficult for some patients, such as suffers of chronic pain, as they may not have the ability, or the time, required to complete the course. The research undertaken by Zeidan et al. (2010) addresses this problem, implementing a short MBSR intervention which lasts only three days. A second problem was also identified with the past research, the potential f the positive health benefits and pain attenuation being the result of the palliative effect due to the long time commitment, rather than the direct result of the actual intervention. The shorter study period also reduced the potential impact of the outcome being due to the palliative effect.

With the problem articulated, this research was undertaken to assess the impact of a three day MBSR on pain attenuation, comparing the results of MBSR with other two other strategies used in pain management; relaxation and math distraction. The research does not state a specific hypothesis; instead it is adopting an approach to answer the research question. The key terms are all explained, inching what is meant by MBSR as well as the processed and equipment used. The outcome is...

However, despite the short length, it provides very comprehensive and clear summer of the past related research, indicating the finding and leading the reader to understand the gap in the research. The focus is clear and directly related to the current research, with most points supported by numerous sources, in which primary research was conducted. The articles are predominantly from other peer reviewed journals, with the majority of the articles relativity recent, having been published within the previous five-year. However, there are also relevant articles from as far back as 1980's. The research does not appear to display any overt bias, as it is suggested that the success of past research with longer programs may be a palliative rather than a direct impact of the intervention.
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Design and Procedures

The research was undertaken using a quasi-experimental design, complying with ethical standards as laid down by the institutional review board of the University of North Carolina. The research design was new, rather than a replica of past research, using a 5 day approach. The subjects; three sample groups of 22 students each drawn from students interest in medication in the psychology pool at the University of South Carolina, and screened to exclude other variables, such as the present of factors that would influence pain perception, took base line tests on the first day, attended the mediation classes on days 2-4 and then repeated the day 1 tests ion day five. The tests assessed the perception of pain on…