Data from a Chinese measurement tool for the accessibility of death-related thoughts

The dataset was generated from a laboratory experiment based on the dot-matrix integration paradigm, designed to measure death thought accessibility (DTA). The study was conducted under controlled conditions, with participants tested individually in a quiet, dimly lit room. Stimulus presentation and response collection were implemented using PsychoPy (exact version number provided in the supplementary materials), and reaction times were recorded via a standard USB keyboard. Experimental stimuli consisted of five categories of two-character Chinese words rendered in dot-matrix form: death-related words, metaphorical-death words, positive words, neutral words, and meaningless words. Stimuli were centrally displayed on the screen, with presentation durations and inter-stimulus intervals (ISI) precisely controlled at the millisecond level.Data collection took place in spring 2025, with a total of 39 participants contributing approximately 16,699 valid trials. Each trial-level record includes participant ID, priming condition (0 = neutral priming, 1 = mortality salience priming), word type, inter-stimulus interval (in milliseconds), reaction time (in milliseconds), and recognition accuracy (0 = incorrect, 1 = correct). In the dataset, rows correspond to single trials and columns represent experimental variables. Reaction times were measured in milliseconds and later log-transformed for statistical analyses to reduce skewness. Accuracy was coded as a binary variable indicating correct recognition.Data preprocessing included the removal of extreme reaction times (less than 150 ms or greater than 3000 ms). Only trials with valid responses were retained for analysis. Missing data were minimal (<1% of all trials), primarily due to occasional non-responses by participants, and are explicitly marked in the dataset. Potential sources of error include natural individual variability in reaction times and minor recording fluctuations from input devices, which are within the millisecond range and do not affect overall patterns.The data files are stored in Excel format (.xlsx), with each participant’s data saved in a separate file named according to the participant ID. Within each file, the first row contains variable names, and subsequent rows record trial-level observations, allowing for straightforward data access and processing. Excel files are compatible with a wide range of statistical software, including R, Python, SPSS, and Microsoft Excel, and no additional software is required to open them. A supplementary documentation file accompanies the dataset, providing detailed explanations of all variables and data processing steps. A complete codebook of variable definitions is included in the appendix to facilitate data interpretation and ensure reproducibility of the analyses.