Abstract
Cognitive reappraisal is widely recognized as an effective emotion regulation strategy. In laboratory research, negative ratings from image-based reappraisal tasks are typically aggregated within trial condition, and the average difference in reported negative affect between conditions serves as a measure of reappraisal success. We aggregated and re-analyzed trial-level data from 27 picture-based reappraisal experiments to which we had access in order to examine the robustness of the reappraisal effect and estimate the power to detect this effect within different sample sizes. Then, we leveraged the database to conduct novel tests of potential trial-level factors (time and previous trial type) that may impact reappraisal success. These allowed us to test among competing hypotheses about how negative affect may change based on these factors: habituation, sensitization, practice, and fatigue. We observed a small but significant linear decrease in negative emotion over time in look and regulation conditions (habituation). We also observed a small but significant interaction between previous trial and current trial, such that seeing a negative image on a previous trial resulted in slightly higher ratings of negative emotion, but this effect was relatively diminished if the previous trial also involved reappraisal. The database is an open, novel resource for those designing and conducting picture-based reappraisal tasks.