Written specifically for those with no prior programming experience and minimal quantitative training, this accessible text walks behavioral science students and researchers through the process of programming using MATLAB. The book explores examples, terms, and programming needs relevant to those in the behavioral sciences and helps readers perform virtually any computational function in solving their research problems. Principles are illustrated with usable code. Each chapter opens with a list of objectives followed by new commands required to accomplish those goals. These objectives also serve as a reference to help readers easily relocate a section of interest. Sample code and output and chapter problems demonstrate how to write a program and explore a model so readers can see the results obtained using different equations and values. A web site provides solutions to selected problems and the book’s program code output and examples so readers can manipulate them as needed. The outputs on the website have color, motion, and sound. Highlights of the new edition include: •Updated to reflect changes in the most recent version of MATLAB, including special tricks and new functions. •More information on debugging and common errors and more basic problems in the rudiments of MATLAB to help novice users get up and running more quickly. •A new chapter on Psychtoolbox, a suite of programs specifically geared to behavioral science research. •A new chapter on Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) for user-friendly communication. •Increased emphasis on pre-allocation of memory, recursion, handles, and matrix algebra operators. The book opens with an overview of what is to come and tips on how to write clear programs followed by pointers for interacting with MATLAB, including its commands and how to read error messages. The matrices chapter reviews how to store and access data. Chapter 4 examines how to carry out calculations followed by a review of how to perform various actions depending on the conditions. The chapter on input and output demonstrates how to design programs to create dialogs with users (e.g., participants in studies) and read and write data to and from external files. Chapter 7 reviews the data types available in MATLAB. Readers learn how to write a program as a stand-alone module in Chapter 8. In Chapters 9 and 10 readers learn how to create line and bar graphs or reshape images. Readers learn how to create animations and sounds in Chapter 11. The book concludes with tips on how to use MATLAB with applications such as GUIs and Psychtoolbox. Intended as a primary text for Matlab courses for advanced undergraduate and/or graduate students in experimental and cognitive psychology and/or neuroscience as well as a supplementary text for labs in data (statistical) analysis, research methods, and computational modeling (programming), the book also appeals to individual researchers in these disciplines who wish to get up and running in MATLAB.

MATLAB is a powerful data analysis program, but many behavioral science researchers find it too daunting to learn and use. An Introduction to MATLAB for Behavioral Researchers is an easy-to-understand, hands-on guide for behavioral researchers who have no prior programming experience. Written in a conversational and non-intimidating style, the author walks students—step by step—through analyzing real experimental data. Topics covered include the basics of programming, the implementation of simple behavioral analyses, and how to make publication-ready figures. More advanced topics such as pseudo-randomization of trial sequences to meet specified criteria and working with psycholinguistic data are also covered. Interesting behavioral science examples and datasets from published studies, such as visualizing fixation patterns in eye-tracking studies and animal search behavior in two-dimensional space, help develop an intuition for data analysis, which is essential and can only be developed when working with real research problems and real data.

MATLAB Blues is an accessible, comprehensive introduction to the MATLAB computer programming language—a powerful and increasingly popular tool for students and researchers. Rosenbaum identifies many of the common mistakes and pitfalls associated with using MATLAB, and shows users how they can learn from these mistakes to be better, happier programmers. Each chapter systematically addresses one of the basic principles of the programming language, like matrices, calculations, contingencies, plotting, input-output, and graphics, and then identifies areas that are problematic, as well as potential errors that can occur. This not only provides the reader with the fundamental "scales and chords" that a MATLAB programmer needs to know, but also with a series of examples and explanations of how to avoid and remedy common mistakes. Accompanied by an array of sample code that can be used and manipulated in conjunction with the textbook, this book is a practical, insightful introduction to MATLAB which provides motivation and encouragement to those with little or no background in programming as well as to those with more advanced concerns. It is an invaluable resource for researchers and students undertaking courses in research methods, statistics, and programming.

MATLAB is a powerful data analysis program, but many behavioral science researchers find it too daunting to learn and use. An Introduction to MATLAB for Behavioral Researchers by Christopher R. Madan is an easy-to-understand, hands-on guide for behavioral researchers who have no prior programming experience. Written in a conversational and non-intimidating style, the author walks students—step by step—through analyzing real experimental data. Topics covered include the basics of programming, the implementation of simple behavioral analyses, and how to make publication-ready figures. More advanced topics such as pseudo-randomization of trial sequences to meet specified criteria and working with psycholinguistic data are also covered. Interesting behavioral science examples and datasets from published studies, such as visualizing fixation patterns in eye-tracking studies and animal search behavior in two-dimensional space, help develop an intuition for data analysis, which is essential and can only be developed when working with real research problems and real data.

Human behavior is fascinating so it’s no surprise that psychologists and neuroscientists spend their lives designing rigorous experiments to understand it. MATLAB is one of the most widely used pieces of software for designing and running behavioral experiments, and it opens up a world of quick and flexible experiment programming. This book offers a step-by-step guide to using MATLAB with Psychtoolbox to create customisable experiments. Its pocket size and simple language allow you to get straight to the point and help you to learn fast in order to complete your work in great time. In nine simple steps, it guides you all the way from setting parameters for your experiment to analysing the output. Gone are the daunting days of working through hundreds of irrelevant and complicated documents, as in this handy book, Erman Misirlisoy coaxes you in the right direction with his friendly and encouraging tricks and tips. If you want to learn how to develop your own experiments to collect and analyse behavioral data, then this book is a must-read. Whether you are a student in experimental psychology, a researcher in cognitive neuroscience, or simply someone who wants to run behavioral tasks on your friends for fun, this book will offer you the skills to succeed.

An introduction to a popular programming language for neuroscience research, taking the reader from beginning to intermediate and advanced levels of MATLAB programming. MATLAB is one of the most popular programming languages for neuroscience and psychology research. Its balance of usability, visualization, and widespread use makes it one of the most powerful tools in a scientist's toolbox. In this book, Mike Cohen teaches brain scientists how to program in MATLAB, with a focus on applications most commonly used in neuroscience and psychology. Although most MATLAB tutorials will abandon users at the beginner's level, leaving them to sink or swim, MATLAB for Brain and Cognitive Scientists takes readers from beginning to intermediate and advanced levels of MATLAB programming, helping them gain real expertise in applications that they will use in their work. The book offers a mix of instructive text and rigorous explanations of MATLAB code along with programming tips and tricks. The goal is to teach the reader how to program data analyses in neuroscience and psychology. Readers will learn not only how to but also how not to program, with examples of bad code that they are invited to correct or improve. Chapters end with exercises that test and develop the skills taught in each chapter. Interviews with neuroscientists and cognitive scientists who have made significant contributions their field using MATLAB appear throughout the book. MATLAB for Brain and Cognitive Scientists is an essential resource for both students and instructors, in the classroom or for independent study.