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3 DISCONFIRMING CONTAMINATION-RELATED THREAT BELIEFS 73 were performed with independent and paired t-tests. For all analyses we used α = 0.05. RESULTS Pre-test measures At the pre-test, participants described that they felt disgusted ( n = 29; 44%), dirty ( n = 27; 41%), or fearful ( n = 9; 14%) while touching the contaminant. There were no pre- test differences between conditions in the intensity of these feelings ( M = 78.41, SD = 13.91), threat belief ratings, and PI-COWC, F s(2,63) < 0.57, p ’s > .56; or in CFDD feelings and perceived control, F s(8,122) < 1.18, p s > .31. All participants identified threat beliefs along the lines of “If I touch this object, then I will get contaminated and get ill”. Expectation ratings regarding the effectiveness of the intervention differed between conditions, F (8,122) = 2.31, p = .02, η p 2 = .13, see Table 1. This effect was found for contamination, fear of contamination, and danger, F s(2,63) > 5.36, p s < .008, η p 2 s > .14, but not for disgust, F (2,63) = 2.31, p = .13. For contamination, fear of contamination, and danger, expectations were higher in the E+RP condition than in the control condition, t s(42) > 2.59, p s < .02, d s > 0.78, and were higher in the E+SB than in the control condition, t s(42) > 2.75, p s < .010, d s > 0.83. Expectations did not differ between the E+RP and E+SB condition, t s(42) < 0.66, p s > .51. Results for CFDD ratings were similar when analyses were performed with 2x3 mixed ANCOVAs with expectations included as covariates, which suggests that the differences between conditions in the expected effectivity of the intervention did not influence the changes found in CFDD ratings.