protocol

"This was the first hint that different levels of activity in a specific brain region determine where someone falls on one dimension of Emotional Style. Intriguing as this was, I didn't want to go out on a limb with a claim about the brain basis for individual differences unless I knew it wasn't going to crack beneath me and send my nascent career plunging into early ignominy. The study that revealed the left-right prefrontal difference was pretty small (only a few dozen subjects), and the difference emerged in only the one protocol that we used - showing people emotional video clips." (Richard J. Davidson 'The emotional life of your brain')

I'm not sure if the word 'protocol' can simply mean:
(1) a report describing an experiment - the plan for a course of medical treatment or for a scientific experiment. (that would make sense)
but since the experiment used EEG to measure people's brain patterns it might refer to something connected with EEG protocol and that probably requires more specific knowledge?

Hi rzezucha

>>only the one protocol that we used - showing people emotional video clips

It looks like protocol is indeed being used to refer to one trial in the experiment, the one that used emotional video clips.

>>it might refer to something connected with EEG protocol

That does not appear to be the case.

I think the way the on-site dictionary entry is written is misleading. I think protocol here means "■ a procedure for carrying out a scientific experiment or a course of medical treatment."
I don't understand why that definition is shown as a subheading of "a report describing an experiment."

Anyway, it sounds like several studies were conducted. Under one protocol, or study procedure, the experimenters showed people emotional videos. That study process yielded differences. I infer there were other studies using different protocols/procedures to test other variables, and those did not show any difference.

In looking at this again, with Kelly B's comment in mind, the wording may be a source of confusion.

>>the difference emerged in only the one protocol that we used

Why is "the" used? I'm guessing it's merely superfluous, and things might be clearer if it were:

the difference emerged in only one of the protocols that we used

Or did the author mean that:

the difference emerged in the only protocol that we used

That's seems very unlikely, given the context, as Kelly points out. But the phrase "the one protocol that we used" could indicate that one, and only one, protocol was employed.

>>send my nascent career plunging into early ignominy

Might be better to get it over with early so you can move on.