PSY:00001 - MRI

Introduction to the Course

This online course offers an in-depth background and hands-on experience in MRI and fMRI methods, emphasizing applications in cognitive and health psychology. Designed for remote learning, the course combines interactive lectures, discussions, and virtual lab sessions to help students understand and apply neuroimaging techniques in psychological research. Through a final group project, students will virtually collect, process, and analyze MRI data, culminating in a presentation and a written report.

Prerequisite Skills

Students should have:

A basic foundation in cognitive or health psychology.
Familiarity with programming tools such as MATLAB or Unix, although introductory tutorials will be provided.

Technologies Needed

Students will need:

A computer with sufficient processing power to run virtual machines and software, including Unix-based systems, MATLAB, and fMRI analysis programs (e.g., FSL, AFNI).
Stable internet access for virtual lab sessions, downloading datasets, and accessing course materials.
Webcam and microphone for participation in online discussions and group collaboration.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, students will:

Understand the fundamental physics behind MRI and fMRI, as well as the neurophysiology of the BOLD/fMRI signal.
Learn to apply MRI/fMRI techniques to study cognitive processes and individual differences in health and disease.
Gain practical experience with common fMRI programming tools and environments (e.g., Unix, MATLAB, FSL, AFNI), adapted for remote learning.
Acquire skills in virtual fMRI data acquisition, preprocessing, manipulation, and analysis.
Critically engage with contemporary MRI/fMRI research and its applications in cognitive and health psychology.
Complete a collaborative group project that involves virtual data collection and analysis, leading to a final presentation and paper.