Figure 2.

Manipulation check. Measures of self-reported state anxiety (a), skin conductance (b), and cortisol levels (c) were greater after manipulation relative to before in the threat manipulation group compared with the control group. Time points for cortisol measurements are as follows: t0, before threat/control manipulation procedure; t1, immediately after threat/control manipulation procedure, before undertaking the task (+10 min from t0); t2, halfway through the task (+30 min from t0); t3, after completion of task and postexperiment questionnaires (+1 h from t0). **p < 0.01 independent/paired sample ttest as appropriate; error bars represent SEM.