Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) PDF

Monroe Campus
Department of
Psychology
White House
806 West Franklin Street
P.O. Box 842018
Richmond, Virginia 23284-2018
804 828-6754
Fax: 804 828-2237
TDD: 1-800-828-1120
Dear Colleague,
The trait Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) is in the public domain and special
permission is not required to use it for research or clinical purposes. The trait MAAS has been
validated for use with college student and community adults (Brown & Ryan, 2003), and for
individuals with cancer (Carlson & Brown, 2005). A detailed description of the trait MAAS,
along with normative score information, is found below, as is the scale and its scoring. A
validated state version of the MAAS is also available in Brown and Ryan (2003) or upon request.
Feel free to e-mail me with any questions about the use or interpretation of the MAAS. I would
appreciate hearing about any clinical or research results you obtain using the scale.
Yours,
Kirk Warren Brown, PhD

Department of Psychology
Virginia Commonwealth University
806 West Franklin St.
Richmond, VA 23284-2018
e-mail [email protected]
Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), trait version
Characteristics of the scale:
The trait MAAS is a 15-item scale designed to assess a core characteristic of mindfulness,
namely, a receptive state of mind in which attention, informed by a sensitive awareness of what
is occurring in the present, simply observes what is taking place. This is in contrast to the
conceptually driven mode of processing, in which events and experiences are filtered through
cognitive appraisals, evaluations, memories, beliefs, and other forms of cognitive manipulation.
Across many studies conducted since 2003, the trait MAAS has shown excellent psychometric
properties. Factor analyses with undergraduate, community and nationally sampled adult, and
adult cancer populations have confirmed a single factor scale structure (Brown & Ryan, 2003;
Carlson & Brown, 2005). Internal consistency levels (Cronbachs alphas) generally range from
.80 to .90. The MAAS has demonstrated high test-retest reliability, discriminant and convergent
validity, known-groups validity, and criterion validity. Correlational, quasi-experimental, and
experimental studies have show that the trait MAAS taps a unique quality of consciousness that is
related to, and predictive of, a variety of emotion regulation, behavior regulation, interpersonal,
and well-being phenomena. The measure takes 5 minutes or less to complete. A validated, 5-item
state version of the MAAS is also available in Brown and Ryan (2003) or upon request.
MAAS norms to date:
Normative information on the trait MAAS is available for both community adults and college
students, as follows:
Community adults (4 independent samples): N = 436; MAAS M = 4.20, SD = .69.
College students (14 independent samples): N = 2277; MAAS M = 3.83, SD = .70.
Appropriate validity references for the trait MAAS:
Brown, K.W. & Ryan, R.M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its
role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84,
822-848.
Carlson, L.E. & Brown, K.W. (2005). Validation of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale
in a cancer population. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 58, 29-33.
Day-to-Day Experiences
Instructions: Below is a collection of statements about your everyday experience. Using the
1-6 scale below, please indicate how frequently or infrequently you currently have each
experience. Please answer according to what really reflects your experience rather than
what you think your experience should be. Please treat each item separately from every
other item.
1 2 3 4 5 6
Almost Very Somewhat Somewhat Very Almost
Always Frequently Frequently Infrequently Infrequently Never
I could be experiencing some emotion and not be conscious of

it until some time later. 1 2 3 4 5 6
I break or spill things because of carelessness, not paying

attention, or thinking of something else. 1 2 3 4 5 6
I find it difficult to stay focused on whats happening in the

present. 1 2 3 4 5 6
I tend to walk quickly to get where Im going without paying

attention to what I experience along the way. 1 2 3 4 5 6
I tend not to notice feelings of physical tension or discomfort

until they really grab my attention. 1 2 3 4 5 6
I forget a persons name almost as soon as Ive been told it

for the first time. 1 2 3 4 5 6
It seems I am running on automatic, without much awareness

of what Im doing. 1 2 3 4 5 6
I rush through activities without being really attentive to them. 1 2 3 4 5 6
I get so focused on the goal I want to achieve that I lose touch

with what Im doing right now to get there. 1 2 3 4 5 6
I do jobs or tasks automatically, without being aware of what

I'm doing. 1 2 3 4 5 6
I find myself listening to someone with one ear, doing

something else at the same time. 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6
Almost Very Somewhat Somewhat Very Almost
Always Frequently Frequently Infrequently Infrequently Never
I drive places on automatic pilot and then wonder why I went

there. 1 2 3 4 5 6
I find myself preoccupied with the future or the past. 1 2 3 4 5 6
I find myself doing things without paying attention. 1 2 3 4 5 6
I snack without being aware that Im eating. 1 2 3 4 5 6

MAAS Scoring
To score the scale, simply compute a mean (average) of the 15 items. Higher scores reflect
higher levels of dispositional mindfulness.

Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) PDF

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

What is the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS)?

What is the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS)?

What are the characteristics and psychometric properties of the MAAS?

What are the characteristics and psychometric properties of the MAAS?

Monroe Campus

Kirk Warren Brown, PhD

Characteristics of the scale:

MAAS norms to date:

Community adults (4 independent samples): N = 436; MAAS M = 4.20, SD = .69.

College students (14 independent samples): N = 2277; MAAS M = 3.83, SD = .70.

Appropriate validity references for the trait MAAS:

I could be experiencing some emotion and not be conscious of

I break or spill things because of carelessness, not paying

I find it difficult to stay focused on whats happening in the

I tend to walk quickly to get where Im going without paying

I tend not to notice feelings of physical tension or discomfort

I forget a persons name almost as soon as Ive been told it

It seems I am running on automatic, without much awareness

I rush through activities without being really attentive to them. 1 2 3 4 5 6

I get so focused on the goal I want to achieve that I lose touch

I do jobs or tasks automatically, without being aware of what

I find myself listening to someone with one ear, doing

I drive places on automatic pilot and then wonder why I went

I find myself preoccupied with the future or the past. 1 2 3 4 5 6

I find myself doing things without paying attention. 1 2 3 4 5 6

I snack without being aware that Im eating. 1 2 3 4 5 6

You might also like