AP Psychology - Brain Unit Projects - Mr. Duez – Atascocita High

You must do one of the following projects. It is worth a test grade. You may do all three if you wish.

I. Create a Model of the Brain

You will need to label the various parts and their respective functions. Effectively illustrate all of the parts or regions (see complete list below), and show the brain from two different perspectives – a ‘whole brain’ and ‘sliced’ brain perspective.

SIZE: Your model brain can not be too small so that people will not be able to see it easily. A general rule of thumb is that both perspectives (whole and sliced) should not exceed the size of a desktop. 

Brain parts/regions:

  1. Cerebrum
  2. Corpus callosum
  3. Amygdala
  4. Thalamus
  5. Cerebellum
  6. Thalamus
  7. Hypothalamus
  8. Hippocampus
  9. Medulla
  10. Pituitary gland

II. Hemispheric Collage

Create a collage of advertisements that seem to appeal to the left hemisphere, to the right hemisphere, or to both hemispheres. This is typically done on a poster board, but can also be done digitally.

You will need 5 advertisements for each category (left, right, and both) with captions for each advertisement. That means you will need 15 total ads or commercials. These captions should explain why you selected the advertisement and how it appeals to the respective hemisphere or to both hemispheres.

You may do this with TV commercials just be sure to include a description of the commercial itself with the caption. You could even create it in video format. Be sure to include text in the video to describe each.

Use your creativity to display your collection of advertisements (or commercials). You should have a total of 15 advertisements/commercials in all with 15 captions.

III. Sketching Your Brain

Your overall task is to sketch your brain based on the thoughts that you have on a daily basis.

   It must include:

1. List all of the things that you think about during the course of a normal day.

2. Assign percentages to each of these items that reflect how much time and cognitive energy is devoted to each item. Percentages should add up to 100%.

3. Sketch the outline of a normal brain, from a lateral perspective.

4. Fill your brain with your thoughts, devoting the appropriate amount of space to each thought based on the percentages determined in step 2.

5. Additionally, you should apply your knowledge of brain anatomy by determining where within the brain these thoughts might occur. For example, if you devote a large amount of your day to thinking about TV (a visual activity), you might have a correspondingly large area in the rear of your brain devoted to TV, as this is where the occipital lobe is.

5. Color your brain so that these distinct thoughts (and regions) are highlighted.