Chapter 4 – Experimental learning 125 Questionnaires Finally, we studied the relationship of nocebo hyperalgesia and anxiety, pain catastrophizing, and optimism. Scores obtained through the four psychological questionnaires were analyzed using correlation analyses, to explore whether any of these psychological characteristics were associated with the magnitude of induced nocebo hyperalgesia. Results Participants, temperatures, and pain ratings A total of 140 participants were enrolled in this study (118 females, 22 males). Six participants were excluded due to technical difficulties or noise disturbance in the lab, 4 participants were unable to complete the study due to sleepiness, intense anxiety, or inability to follow instructions, 3 participants were excluded due to exhibiting a too-high threshold for pain (i.e., not reaching a moderate pain rating during calibrations), 2 participants were excluded due to fulfilling one of the health-related exclusion criteria (namely, experiencing moderate head or neck pain at the time of testing), 2 participants were excluded due to knowing the purpose of the experiment as assessed in the postassessment survey, and 1 participant was excluded due to insufficient understanding of Dutch. A total of 122 participants were included in the final analyses, 102 females and 20 males. Randomization across the five groups resulted in a total of 25 participants in group 1 (partial reinforcement-counterconditioning), 24 participants in group 2 (partial
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