Advanced Developmental Methods

Master 2024/2025

Type: Elective course (Science of Learning and Assessment)

Area of studies: Psychology

Delivered by: Department of Educational Programmes

Where: Institute of Education

When: 2 year, 1, 2 module

Mode of studies: offline

Open to: students of all HSE University campuses

Instructors: Andrei Faber

Master’s programme: Science of Learning and Assessment

Language: English

ECTS credits: 6

Full Syllabus

Abstract

The course is dedicated to advanced research methods in developmental science. This course covers practical applications of neuroimaging methods in studies with children and provides both theoretical knowledge about neuroimaging techniques and practical experience in data analyses of neuroimaging data.The theoretical part of the course focuses on experimental design in developmental science and suitability of neuroimaging methods including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG). The practical part of the course covers the main steps of fMRI data analysis and its methodological limitations taking into account considerations associated with pediatric samples. Students conduct their own analysis of fMRI data during this part of the course. The course is recommended not only for students who plan to use neuroimaging techniques to study human development, but as well, for those who want to be able to interpret neuroimaging results and critically evaluate the methods of studies published in modern scientific literature.Prerequisite: knowledge of statistics would be an advantage, but not required.

Learning Objectives

to make students being able to think critically about experimental design and hypothesis testing in neuroimaging studies with children and adolescents from developmental perspective
to provide the knowledge about principles of modern neuroimaging techniques
to provide practical experience in preprocessing and analyzing neuroimaging data with samples of children and adolescents
to make students being able to apply data analysis pipelines for developmental neuroimaging data
to make students being able to interpret neuroimaging results and critically evaluate the methods of studies published in scientific literature

Expected Learning Outcomes

Students will learn about advanced principles of neuroimaging methods including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG).
Students will be able to describe the design of a modern neuroimaging experiment and provide a publishable report of experimental methods.
Students will be able to perform fMRI preprocessing steps including skullstripping, despiking, coregistration, normalization, motion correction, slice-time correction, and smoothing.
Students will learn about general linear model (GLM) and will be able to perform various statistical analyses of fMRI data including ANOVA and t-test.
Students will be able to create figures showing results of whole-brain analyses and to draw basic conclusions from the figures about mechanisms underlying cognitive processing in the human brain.
to reasonably choose suitable neuroimaging methods for studying cognitive development with samples of children and adolescents
to evaluate validity of hypotheses and results based on experimental design and properties of neuroimaging technique
to install software packages for fMRI data preprocessing and analysis
to apply software packages for the following fMRI preprocessing steps: despiking, registration, normalization, motion correction, slice-time correction, and smoothing
to deploy general linear model (GLM) for performing statistical analyses of fMRI data
to create figures and tables showing results of whole-brain fMRI analyses
to draw basic conclusions from the figures about mechanisms underlying cognitive processing in the human brain

Course Contents

Research Design in Neuroimaging
Advanced Principles of Neuroimaging Data Acquisition
Preprocessing of fMRI Data
Analysis of fMRI Data
Interpreting and Presenting Neuroimaging Data

Assessment Elements

Installation of the software
Analysis of fMRI data
Oral Presentation on fMRI
Report on the results
Final Exam
multiple choice and open questions test
In-class Activity
Oral Presentation on EEG/MEG

Interim Assessment

2024/2025 2nd module
0.12 * Analysis of fMRI data + 0.4 * Final Exam + 0.06 * In-class Activity + 0.06 * Installation of the software + 0.12 * Oral Presentation on EEG/MEG + 0.12 * Oral Presentation on fMRI + 0.12 * Report on the results

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Jenkinson, M., & Chappell, M. (2018). Introduction to Neuroimaging Analysis (Vol. First edition). Oxford: OUP Oxford. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=2245135
Keil, A., Debener, S., Gratton, G., Junghöfer, M., Kappenman, E. S., Luck, S. J., … Yee, C. M. (2014). Committee report: Publication guidelines and recommendations for studies using electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography. Psychophysiology, 51(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.12147
Poldrack, R. A., Mumford, J. A., & Nichols, T. E. (2011). Handbook of Functional MRI Data Analysis. New York: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=399310
Stamatakis, E., Orfanidou, E., & Papanicolaou, A. (2017-06-27). Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. In (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Functional Brain Imaging in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neurosciences. : Oxford University Press,. http://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199764228.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199764228-e-7. – ЭБС: Oxford Handbooks Online
Wager, T., & Lindquist, M. (2011-09-12). Essentials of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. In (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Social Neuroscience. : Oxford University Press,. http://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195342161.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780195342161-e-006. – ЭБС: Oxford Handbooks Online

Recommended Additional Bibliography

Hari, R., & Salmelin, R. (2012). Magnetoencephalography: From SQUIDs to neuroscience: Neuroimage 20th Anniversary Special Edition. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.7050C50
Jose Soares, Ricardo Magalhães, Pedro Moreira, Alexandre Sousa, Edward Ganz, Adriana Sampaio, … Nuno Sousa. (2016). A hitchhiker’s guide to functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2016.00515/full

Authors

FABER ANDREY YUREVICH
SHALOM KSENIYA VLADIMIROVNA

Course Syllabus