Widening participation in cognitive neuroscience: a mixed-methods study of age-related motivators, barriers and attitudes towards imaging methods.

Overview

1. School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
2. School of Education, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
3. School of Medicine, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
4. Regional Neuropsychology Services, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow, UK
5. School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
6. School of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK

Abstract

Background: Cognitive neuroscience research often relies on convenience sampling of participants, which can result in biased sample demographics and an under-representation of older adults. There is a need to identify more effective routes to widen participation among older adults and to explore age-related differences in the motivators and barriers to research involvement.

Methods: This mixed methods study combined qualitative data from two focus groups, conducted with N = 11 healthy older adults aged 55–73, and an online questionnaire completed by N = 336 adults aged 18–88.

Results: Analysis of the focus group discussions identified 3 main themes that were most important to older adults: a) The importance of receiving transparent information about the aims, procedures and safety of the study, b) Distinguishing between medical and non-medical research, and c) Contributing to the “collective good”. The questionnaire echoed that altruism, and the prospect of scientific discovery, are increasingly important motivators with advancing age, whereas financial incentives become less important. Older adults have more free time to participate, are less deterred by the prospect of pain, and express more trust in researchers than younger people. Attitudes towards different imaging methods (MRI, EEG, NIBS and Eye tracking) varied, with fewest negative emotions for eye-tracking and most for non-invasive brain stimulation, but positive attitudes generally increased and negative attitudes reduced with age.

Conclusion: These findings can inform age-tailored recruitment strategies to improve diversity in neuroimaging research. Improving communication, addressing practical barriers, and framing studies in a meaningful context may help increase participation among groups who are traditionally underrepresented in neuroimaging research.

Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-026-02911-3.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

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Data

Datasets cited

• osf:y9fjk, at OSF; found in “Data availability”

Data availability

The data for the quantitative arm of the study is available at https://osf.io/y9fjk/. De-identified transcripts from the focus groups can be obtained on request from the corresponding author.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

Versions

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Version 1, 27 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 6 authors, 5 keywords, 19 MeSH terms, 1 funder, 43 references.

Cite

This paper

Kotiusheva, K., Hilliker, L., Ibbotson, T., Baylan, S., Gardani, M., & Learmonth, G. (2026). Widening participation in cognitive neuroscience: a mixed-methods study of age-related motivators, barriers and attitudes towards imaging methods. BMC medical research methodology, 26(1), 192. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-026-02911-3

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