eLife (Aug 2023)
Enhancing precision in human neuroscience
- Stephan Nebe,
- Mario Reutter,
- Daniel H Baker,
- Jens Bölte,
- Gregor Domes,
- Matthias Gamer,
- Anne Gärtner,
- Carsten Gießing,
- Caroline Gurr,
- Kirsten Hilger,
- Philippe Jawinski,
- Louisa Kulke,
- Alexander Lischke,
- Sebastian Markett,
- Maria Meier,
- Christian J Merz,
- Tzvetan Popov,
- Lara MC Puhlmann,
- Daniel S Quintana,
- Tim Schäfer,
- Anna-Lena Schubert,
- Matthias FJ Sperl,
- Antonia Vehlen,
- Tina B Lonsdorf,
- Gordon B Feld
Affiliations
- Stephan Nebe
- ORCiD
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Mario Reutter
- ORCiD
- Department of Psychology, Julius-Maximilians-University, Würzburg, Germany
- Daniel H Baker
- ORCiD
- Department of Psychology and York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, York, United Kingdom
- Jens Bölte
- ORCiD
- Institute for Psychology, University of Münster, Otto-Creuzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, Münster, Germany
- Gregor Domes
- ORCiD
- Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, University of Trier, Trier, Germany; Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Trier, Germany
- Matthias Gamer
- ORCiD
- Department of Psychology, Julius-Maximilians-University, Würzburg, Germany
- Anne Gärtner
- ORCiD
- Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Carsten Gießing
- ORCiD
- Biological Psychology, Department of Psychology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
- Caroline Gurr
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany; Brain Imaging Center, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
- Kirsten Hilger
- ORCiD
- Department of Psychology, Julius-Maximilians-University, Würzburg, Germany; Department of Psychology, Psychological Diagnostics and Intervention, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Eichstätt, Germany
- Philippe Jawinski
- ORCiD
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Louisa Kulke
- ORCiD
- Department of Developmental with Educational Psychology, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- Alexander Lischke
- Department of Psychology, Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Sebastian Markett
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Maria Meier
- ORCiD
- Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany; University Psychiatric Hospitals, Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Research Department (UPKKJ), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Christian J Merz
- ORCiD
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
- Tzvetan Popov
- Department of Psychology, Methods of Plasticity Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Lara MC Puhlmann
- ORCiD
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research, Mainz, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Daniel S Quintana
- ORCiD
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; NevSom, Department of Rare Disorders & Disabilities, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Tim Schäfer
- ORCiD
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany; Brain Imaging Center, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
- Anna-Lena Schubert
- ORCiD
- Department of Psychology, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Matthias FJ Sperl
- ORCiD
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Universities of Marburg and Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Antonia Vehlen
- ORCiD
- Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, University of Trier, Trier, Germany
- Tina B Lonsdorf
- ORCiD
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Psychology, Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
- Gordon B Feld
- ORCiD
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; Department of Psychology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Addiction Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.85980
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 12
Abstract
Human neuroscience has always been pushing the boundary of what is measurable. During the last decade, concerns about statistical power and replicability – in science in general, but also specifically in human neuroscience – have fueled an extensive debate. One important insight from this discourse is the need for larger samples, which naturally increases statistical power. An alternative is to increase the precision of measurements, which is the focus of this review. This option is often overlooked, even though statistical power benefits from increasing precision as much as from increasing sample size. Nonetheless, precision has always been at the heart of good scientific practice in human neuroscience, with researchers relying on lab traditions or rules of thumb to ensure sufficient precision for their studies. In this review, we encourage a more systematic approach to precision. We start by introducing measurement precision and its importance for well-powered studies in human neuroscience. Then, determinants for precision in a range of neuroscientific methods (MRI, M/EEG, EDA, Eye-Tracking, and Endocrinology) are elaborated. We end by discussing how a more systematic evaluation of precision and the application of respective insights can lead to an increase in reproducibility in human neuroscience.
Keywords
