On Jul 11, 2012, at 6:33 AM, Marc Carter wrote: > Only offering this as a cautionary tale (but not taking sides because others > know far more about this than I), and because it's damned funny. > http://prefrontal.org/files/posters/Bennett-Salmon-2009.pdf > I always use this in my methods and cognitive classes to make sure that > students don't jump to conclusions. And they get a big laugh out of it, as I > did.
I don't think the authors meant it as a cautionary tale. According to Margulies (2011), the poster was intended to be a light-hearted demonstration that the statistical corrections typically used by social-neuroscience researchers are generally adequate for validly interpreting fMRI results: >> Before proper correction for multiple comparisons, a cluster 27 mm3 was >> found to be significant within the brain cavity; however, the authors >> dutifully noted that “due to the coarse resolution of the echo-planar image >> acquisition and the relatively small size of the salmon brain further >> discrimination between brain regions could not be completed” (Bennett et >> al., 2009). Of course (and thankfully), after proper statistical >> correction, no active voxels were detected. (emphasis added, p. 282) Margulies continued: >> To those unfamiliar with the techniques, this appeared to be another >> successful attack against social neuroscience.... However, those within the >> community understood that the obvious tongue-in-cheek presentation was far >> from being an attempt to invalidate fMRI approaches to questions of social >> cognition. Rather, it was an example of statistical criticism, which >> reinforced the validity of correction techniques that have long been argued >> as essential. (pp. 282-283) Best, Jeff Margulies, D. S. (2011) The salmon of doubt: Six months of methodological controversy within social neuroscience. In S. Choudhury & J. Slaby (Eds.), Critical Neuroscience: A Handbook of the Social and Cultural Contexts of Neuroscience (pp. 273-285). London: Wiley-Blackwell. doi: 10.1002/9781444343359.ch13 -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeffry Ricker, Ph.D. SCC: Professor of Psychology MCCCD: General Studies Faculty Representative PSY 101 Website: http://sccpsy101.wordpress.com/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scottsdale Community College 9000 E. Chaparral Road Scottsdale, AZ 85256-2626 Office: SB-123 Phone: (480) 423-6213 Fax: (480) 423-6298 --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=18966 or send a blank email to leave-18966-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
