18 Jul 2013
July 18, 2013

Special Processing for Faces? A Cautionary Tale for fMRI

Neuroscience, Psychology

Cowell and Cottrell trained a computational model on images used in fMRI studies of object and face processing.  They used multivariate pattern analysis and were able to replicate evidence for a specialized face area even though the model had no specialized processing for faces.  The authors suggest that fMRI evidence for a specialized face area should be interpreted with caution.

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About the Author


The Miller Lab uses experimental and theoretical approaches to study the neural basis of the high-level cognitive functions that underlie complex goal-directed behavior. ekmillerlab.mit.edu