Increase the representativeness of samples using neuroimaging approaches |
• Neuroimaging studies based on convenience samples may not optimally address target research questions or may come to erroneous conclusions |
• Increased emphasis on sampling approaches (goal 5) |
• All brains are not the same |
• Use of sophisticated sampling and analytic techniques to decrease N needed in samples (goal 3) |
Increased collection of larger, well-characterized neuroimaging samples at multiple points across the life span |
• Understand developmental trajectories of brain development |
• Merging existing data sets and meta-analysis (goal 2) |
• Increase replicability and generalizability of results |
• Large-scale collaborative studies |
• Piggybacking neuroimaging on existing behavioral studies |
• Increased work on cross-site imaging and standardization of protocols to allow for combining samples (goal 1) |
• Longitudinal imaging (goal 6) |
Increase the emphasis on larger social context and experience as a predictor and moderator of brain-behavior links |
• Evidence in social sciences emphasizes the importance of broader context and culture on behavior |
• Examination of moderators and collection of data from diverse groups (both cross- and within-culture) (goal 4) |
• Ignoring these variables assumes uniform brain-behavior relationships which is unlikely |
• Examination of ecological and interactional models (goal 6) |
Increased training and collaboration between neural and social scientists |
• Neural science can gain from increased focus on samples and on contextual effects |
• Funding focused on this “high-risk, high-reward,” large-scale collaboration |
• Population science can gain from increased understanding of the brain as a mediator of context-behavior links |
• Conferences and national meetings for collaboration and learning |
• Emphasis on making each discipline’s methods accessible (goal 5) |