This fMRI experiment template is part of the guide "How to plan and run an fMRI experiment". It contains the following:
- Experiment checklist example
- Experiment protocol example
- Participant briefing checklist example
- Code for example visual fMRI experiment (with eye-tracking): Written in Matlab using PsychToolBox. You can modify this code to create your own experiment or better understand how to build one. Includes the following files:
- visual_fMRI_exp_with_EyeLink.m: experiment code
- exp_codes.mat: example experiment trial conditions data
- Generate_Trial_Lists.m: code to generate exp_codes
- instructions_eng.txt: experiment instructions text
- Stimuli folder: stimulus images used by the experiment.
The experiment itself is a visual fMRI experiment with eye-tracking. During each 34.5 second trial, an image of a face or a house appears for 9 or 15 seconds. Throughout the trial the participant should focus on a central fixation cross, which in rare occasions changes briefly from a '+' to a '-' (vertical line disappears) - and in such cases the participant needs to press the response button. Yes, this experiment is excruciatingly boring.