Selecting Your Psychophysiological Research System

Considerations in Selecting Data Acquisition & Analysis Systems for Psychophysiological Research

By Joseph Aditi, Ph.D.

Introduction

Only 17.82% of the total applicants for National Institute of Health (NIH) grants received funding in 2014. The scarcity of new grant funding has sharpened the focus on managing laboratory expenses wisely. Researchers operating on a small budget are becoming more cautious when it comes to investing in instruments; in particular, data acquisition and analysis systems.

The decision to procure a data acquisition and analysis system requires careful consideration of a number of criteria. This can complicate the decision making process, leaving many researchers flustered. New psychophysiology researchers have expressed the need for a ‘cheat sheet’ to choose such a system.

We asked experienced psychophysiology researchers, who have successfully invested in data acquisition and analysis systems for their labs, to share their experiences and insights. The focus of this article is to outline six major considerations that were subsequently identified, namely: research requirements, cost, processing capabilities, compatibility, after-sales service, and the extent of usage.

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BIOPAC life science research data acquisition and analysis systems have been cited in over 50,900 scientific articles and studies and are researchers’ tools of choice across the globe. To further enable researchers in their quest for discovery, BIOPAC presents this series of articles designed to empower researchers in obtaining research funding.