> Are these methods doing the SAME things? Or do we in some way treat the variance differently?
Yes, the two approaches should end up with the same result since you're only taking the effect estimates (beta values) for group analysis; in other words, a paired t-test between two conditions is essentially the same as a one-sample t-test on the contrast between the two conditions.
On the other hand, if you want to take the reliability from each effect estimate (beta) into consideration at the group level (e.g., using 3dMEMA), then you would have to obtain the contrast and its t-stat and feed them into the group analysis.
Gang
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/13/2016 03:36PM by Gang.
