2.2. Study Design
All protocols were approved by the Purdue University Institutional Review Board (Protocol #13-4660H). Participants were randomized to one of two mental activation conditions (asked to think/write about a memory of their pet dog or asked to think/write about any positive memory as a comparison) and to one of two stressor conditions (social-evaluative stressor or cognitive stressor). Randomization occurred via a random number generator (random.org). Participants were blinded to their assignment. Thus, all participants were asked to bring a digital or physical photo of their pet dog to the laboratory session regardless of which mental activation condition they were allocated. The research team was not blinded to participant assignment to conduct the correct protocols during each participant’s visit, which varied by assignment. The analyzed sample consisted of four groups: N = 37 cognitive stressor/pet dog mental activation group (Cog