6. Task linkage rules¶
6.1 How processes link to tasks¶
A process links to a task if the task’s inclusion test (Procedure / Manipulation / Measurement) engages that process. The link is stored in the tasks[] array of each process entry in process_details.json, using hedtsk_<slug> IDs. The reverse direction (task -> process) is stored in the hed_process_ids array of each task entry in task_details.json.
6.2 When is a link justified?¶
A link from task T to process P should satisfy at least one of:
Canonical link: The paradigm-defining paper(s) for T theorize that T engages P. Example: Stroop -> interference control.
Contrast-based link: Some condition contrast in T is standardly interpreted as isolating P. Example: congruent vs. incongruent in Stroop -> conflict monitoring.
Measurement-based link: T has a measure standardly interpreted as an index of P. Example: stop-signal reaction time in the Stop-Signal Task -> response inhibition.
6.3 What a link is not¶
A link is not an ontology assertion (no
is-a, no class hierarchy).A link is not an exclusion - other processes may be engaged; we list only those the task is designed to probe.
A link is not symmetric in the sense that every process that lists T also makes T its primary paradigm. Some processes are engaged by a task but primarily studied with a different task.
6.4 Unlinked processes¶
19 of 172 processes have task_count = 0 (no linked tasks). Some of these are legitimate: the process is real but none of the 103 tasks in the current catalog are designed to study it (e.g., gustatory perception - no taste-perception task in the catalog). Others may signal problems: the process is too abstract, or a link was missed.