Facilities

We use a wide range of methods in the lab, from state-of-the art neuroimaging to behavioral testing and judgments that are the mainstay of cognitive psychology and linguistics.

EEG Laboratory

The view of Fall foliage from our lab on the fourth floor of Lorch Hall.
The view of Fall foliage from our lab on the fourth floor of Lorch Hall.

The EEG Laboratory, located in 441 Lorch Hall, includes a 64-channel actiCAP system with an actiCHamp amplifier. We have four EasyCap caps (M10 montage) with sizes suitable for adults. EEG Acquisition is controlled with PyCorder software.

Recording takes place in a sound attenuated booth. Visual stimuli are presented via a 23″ LCD monitor and auditory stimuli are delivered with Etymotic ER-2 tube ear-phones. Responses can be collected via keyboard and a consumer game controller. Experiments can be conducted using E-Prime, PsychiPy, and other packages.

EEG recording is aligned with stimulus presentation by (i) impulse codes sent by the stimulus presentation software to the EEG amplifier and (ii) direct feed of the acoustic signal heard by the participant to the EEG amplifier and/or direct input from a screen-mounted photodiode.

Behavioral Testing


We have one private booth for collecting behavioral data, located in 457 Lorch Hall. Experimental control and data collected can be conducted using E-Prime, Matlab PsychToolbox, Linger, and other packages.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging


The University of Michigan Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Laboratory hosts two research-dedicated MRI scanners operating at 3T.

We also partner with researchers affiliated with the Cornell MRI Facility to study sentence and story-processing in adults.

Magnetoencephalography

We conduct magnetoencephalographic research in collaboration with Susan Bowyer at the Henry Ford Hospital Center for Neuromagnetism. This center, just 45 minutes away from Ann Arbor, hosts a 148-channel Magnetometer as well as facilities for behavioral testing. The facility is especially well suited for making pediatric participants and their families comfortable.

We also maintain a research relationship with Timothy Roberts at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Nancy Lurie Marks Center for Magnetoencephalography.

Data Analysis

Computer resources for data analysis include four apple iMac i7 4-Core workstations running Mac OS X 10.7 and Windows 7. The analysis lab is located in Lorch Hall. Two HP Z420 8-core workstations, located in Lorch 441, running Windows 7 and RedHat Enterprise Linux 6 are also available. All data are stored on network drives with offsite backup.

Data analysis software available includes the Matlab toolboxes Fieldtrip, EEGLab, SPM, and the MNE suite. Statistical analysis is available via R and SPSS, with support and resources for other platforms available the Center for Statistical Consultation and Research. Digital data are safely and securely on the university-hosted MiStorage service.