Session 0: Course kick-off

From Research Questions to Data

The essence of cognitive neuroscience experiments is to examine relationships between manipulations (independent variables) and their effects on measurable outcomes (dependent variables). Remember there are various experimental designs, such as:

  • Between-participants design: Each participant experiences only one level of a factor.
  • Within-participants design: Participants experience multiple levels of a factor, allowing for within-subject comparisons.
  • Mixed designs: Combining elements of both between- and within-participant designs.

There are also techniques like counterbalancing to mitigate order effects and ensure reliable, replicable results.

Tools for Experimental Design

During the programming phase, you’ll become familiar with two key software tools:

E-Prime

  • Widely used at CIMCYC
  • Great for users with little coding experience
  • Only available on Windows (License required; check PRADO)

OpenSesame

  • Python-based and open source
  • Cross-platform and free
  • Requires basic coding knowledge, but has a large online community

If you need help accessing these tools or have a non-Windows computer, feel free to reach out!

Relevant readings

For more reading, check out the following resources:

1. Understanding Experimental Design

  • What are the key differences between between-participants and within-participants designs, and in what scenarios would you prefer one over the other?
  • Reflect on the importance of counterbalancing in experimental design. How does it help improve the reliability of an experiment?

2. From Research Questions to Experiment Design

  • How would you approach transforming a cognitive neuroscience research question into a concrete experimental procedure? What are the key stages you must consider?
  • How do repeated measures (within-participant designs) affect the interpretation of experimental data compared to between-participant designs?

3. Programming and Tools

  • Compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of E-Prime and OpenSesame. How might the choice of tool affect the design and execution of your experiment?
  • In programming an experiment, why is it important to understand both the user interface (e.g., E-Prime’s E-Studio) and coding components (e.g., Inline Scripts)?

4. Ethical Considerations

  • When designing experiments in cognitive neuroscience, what ethical considerations should be taken into account? How can these be incorporated into the design phase?

Below, you can find the slides from this session: