Procedures
anxiety
The study was presented as an investigation of the effects of auditory attention on cognitive performance. Participants signed an online informed consent, after which each participant completed questions assessing demographic information, neuroticism, trait mindfulness, state mindfulness, positive and negative affect, and state anxiety, all using Likert scales (see below for additional details). Participants were then randomly assigned to one of the four conditions, which determined which audio recording they would listen to. Before listening to their assigned recording, participants were instructed to ensure that they were in a quiet environment with minimal distractions. To further encourage attentiveness, participants were told that they would need to answer questions based on the recording in order to be compensated for the study. Following the audio recording, which were delivered using Inquisit software, participants again answered questions assessing state mindfulness, positive and negative affect, and state anxiety, as well as multiple-choice questions and Likert scales to assess their comprehension of the recording, enjoyment of the recording, and prior meditation experience. Participants also answered open-response questions regarding their perception and understanding of the recording.