Blood pressure reaction in response to distractor pictures and different load conditions in the perceptual load task
| Mean | SD | F test | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low load | ||||
| Negative | −0.48 | 1.29 | 4.34 | 0.055 |
| Neutral | 0.403 | 1.66 | ||
| High load | ||||
| Negative | −0.12 | 1.71 | 1.59 | 0.22 |
| Neutral | −0.78 | 1.35 |
In the low-load condition, blood pressure was lower after negative compared with neutral distractor pictures. The difference between negative and neutral distractor pictures was not significant in the high-load condition. Blood pressure changes are reported as a change from mean baseline from 1 s before the beginning of each block to the onset of the first picture in the block.