Table 1.
BDI, initial self-report Spielberger State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), initial SCL, initial cortisol, task-related variables, subjective scales, and memory in Experiment I
| Threat manipulation group mean (SD) | Control group mean (SD) | |
|---|---|---|
| BDI and baseline stress levels | ||
| BDI | 5.79 (5.23) | 4.69 (3.22) |
| Initial self-report STAIa | 10.37 (2.65) | 8.63 (1.36) |
| Initial SCL | 6.27 (3.29) | 5.90 (3.20) |
| Initial cortisol (log transformed) | −1.99 (0.59) | −1.79 (0.53) |
| Task variables | ||
| First estimates | 29.82 (5.62)b | 31.05 (5.89)b |
| Subjective scales questionnaire (1, low, to 6, high) | Bias (good news–bad news) | |
|---|---|---|
| Vividness | 0.41 (0.72)b | 0.72 (0.65)b |
| Familiarity | 0.30 (0.69) | 0.49 (0.62)b |
| Prior experience | 0.18 (0.61) | 0.33 (0.41)b |
| Emotional arousal | 0.33 (0.63)b | 0.13 (0.86) |
| Negativity | 0.20 (0.49) | −0.13 (0.58) |
| Other task-related variables | ||
| Number of trials | −1.58 (8.99) | −1.56 (9.70) |
| Memory errors | −1.23 (3.16) | −0.21 (4.52) |
| Estimation errors (absolute) | −0.82 (5.27) | 1.11 (5.84) |
| Update | 2.60 (12.67) | 4.21 (7.83)b |
Note that estimation errors and update (the final two rows) are the variables used to compute the information integration parameters (αG and αB) for each participant.
aDifference between the threat manipulation and control groups, tested using an independent-sample t test (p < 0.05).
bSignificant effect of valence (p < 0.05), tested using a one-sample t test on the bias scores (difference between good and bad news) on each group separately.