Navigating the garden of forking paths for data exclusions in fear conditioning research.

ABSTRACT: In this report, we illustrate the considerable impact of researcher degrees of freedom with respect to exclusion of participants in paradigms with a learning element. We illustrate this empirically through case examples from human fear conditioning research, in which the exclusion of 'non-learners' and 'non-responders' is common - despite a lack of consensus on how to define these groups. We illustrate the substantial heterogeneity in exclusion criteria identified in a systematic literature search and highlight the potential problems and pitfalls of different definitions through case examples based on re-analyses of existing data sets. On the basis of these studies, we propose a consensus on evidence-based rather than idiosyncratic criteria, including clear guidelines on reporting details.

SUBMITTER: Lonsdorf TB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6989118 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature