About this Research Topic
The cognitive psychology of perception and decision-making is at a cross-road. Most studies still employ categorical designs, a priori classified stimuli and perform statistical evaluations across subjects. However, a shift has been observed in recent years towards parametric designs in which the information content of stimuli is systematically manipulated to study the single-trial dynamics of behaviour (reaction times, eye movements) and brain activity (EEG, MEG, fMRI). By using the information contained in the variance of individual trials, the single-trial approach goes beyond the activity of the average brain: it reveals the specificity of information processing in individual subjects, across tasks and stimulus space, revealing both inter-individual commonalties and differences. This Research Topic provides theoretical and empirical support for the study of single-trial data.
Topics of particular interest include:
1. description of the richness of information in single-trials and how it can be successfully extracted;
2. statistical issues related to measures of central tendency, control for multiple comparisons, multivariate approaches, hierarchical modelling and characterization of individual differences;
3. how manipulation of the stimulus space can allow for a direct mapping of stimulus properties onto brain activity to infer dynamics of information processing and information content of brain states;
4. how results from different brain imaging techniques can be integrated at the single-trial level.
Topics of particular interest include:
1. description of the richness of information in single-trials and how it can be successfully extracted;
2. statistical issues related to measures of central tendency, control for multiple comparisons, multivariate approaches, hierarchical modelling and characterization of individual differences;
3. how manipulation of the stimulus space can allow for a direct mapping of stimulus properties onto brain activity to infer dynamics of information processing and information content of brain states;
4. how results from different brain imaging techniques can be integrated at the single-trial level.
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
