Experimental Designs in fMRI Flashcards
What is an independent variable in an experiment?
The variable manipulated in an experiment to generate changes in the measured response.
Define dependent variable.
The measured variable of interest in an experiment.
Differentiate between categorical and continuous variables.
Categorical variables have discrete values, while continuous variables have an infinite number of values.
What is the purpose of an experimental design in fMRI?
It organizes an experiment to effectively test research hypotheses, especially crucial in fMRI due to its high cost.
How is internal validity defined in a study?
Internal validity is achieved if a study produces one and only one explanation of the results.
Explain external validity in the context of a study.
External validity refers to the generalizability of results beyond the research context, from sample to population, from one study to another, and from a study to the real world.
What is the impact of extraneous variables on internal validity?
Extraneous variables interact with the independent variable and its manipulation, worsening internal validity.
Describe the trade-off between internal and external validity.
There is a trade-off between internal and external validity, increasing one will decrease the other, necessitating a balance.
What characterizes an experimental condition?
An experimental condition contains tasks or stimuli relevant to the research hypothesis.
What is the purpose of a control condition (baseline)?
A control condition provides a standard for comparison with experimental conditions, ensuring they are not too distant or similar.
What is the pure insertion assumption in subtraction designs?
It assumes that a specific cognitive process can be inserted into another set of cognitive processes without altering their nature.
How is a conjunction design used in fMRI studies?
It isolates the same process by multiple separate comparisons and tests for common activation in several independent contrasts.
What is the aim of parametric designs in fMRI?
Parametric designs vary a stimulus parameter of interest on a continuum, offering flexibility in testing relations between BOLD and the parameter.
What does a factorial design with categorical factors allow in different studies?
It allows the verification of the pure insertion assumption in different studies, modeling interaction between factors.
What is PPI, and what factors does it involve?
Psychophysiological Interactions (PPI) is a parametric factorial design involving a psychological context and a physiological source, requiring knowledge about neurobiological plausibility.
How do block designs capture brain responses?
Block designs examine responses to a series of similar stimuli, capturing sustained tonic responses.
Differentiate between epoch and event-related models in block designs.
Epoch models involve sustained periods of stimulation, while event-related models consist of impulses.
What are advantages of block designs in fMRI experiments?
Block designs are simple, minimize task switching, are robust to uncertainty in timing, and allow straightforward analysis.
What is a disadvantage of event-related designs compared to block designs?
Event-related designs are less efficient for detecting effects than block designs.
What is the problem of multicollinearity in fMRI data analysis?
Multicollinearity occurs when regressors in the design matrix correlate with each other, making the interpretation of GLM results challenging.