Give an example of a study that might use an online TMS protocol to study moral judgments. Now modify it to be done with an offline protocol.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Answer is An example of a study that might use an online Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) protocol to study moral judgments could be an experiment where researchers aim to investigate the causal role of the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) in moral decision-making. The rTPJ has been implicated in moral reasoning and judgment in previous neuroimaging studies.

In the online TMS study, participants could be presented with a series of moral dilemmas while receiving real-time TMS. For instance, participants might read a story involving a moral decision, such as whether to sacrifice one person to save five others. As they are contemplating their decision, TMS would be applied to the rTPJ to transiently disrupt its activity. The researchers would then measure how this disruption affects the participants' moral judgments by comparing their responses to a control condition where TMS is applied to a different brain area or sham stimulation is used.

To modify this study for an offline TMS protocol, the design would change such that the TMS is applied before the task rather than during it. In the offline version, participants might visit the lab and receive a session of repetitive TMS (rTMS) to the rTPJ, which is known to induce effects that can last for a period of time after the stimulation. After the rTMS session, participants would be given a break, allowing the effects of the stimulation to take hold. They would then be presented with the same moral dilemmas as in the online version, but without concurrent TMS application.

The offline approach would allow researchers to examine whether temporarily altering neural activity in the rTPJ before engaging in moral reasoning has a lasting impact on moral judgments. By comparing the moral decisions made by participants after rTMS to those made by a control group that received sham stimulation, researchers could infer the role of the rTPJ in moral judgment and reasoning.

Both online and offline TMS protocols have their advantages and limitations. Online TMS allows for the examination of immediate, causal effects of brain activity disruption during a task, while offline TMS can provide insights into the lasting effects of such disruptions and potentially reduce the confounding effects of the stimulation itself on task performance.

Give an Example of a Study That Might Use an Online