Part 1: Introduction to Cognitive Science tasks
Students will learn about the scientific method and discuss how it leads to the building of knowledge. Students will learn about the Stroop Task and the brain processes involved in executing the task. Next they will be their own experimental subject and will execute the task, collect their data and analyze it comparing it with the rest of the class.
Access here an alternative lesson using the Simon task (touchscreen compatible) instead of the Stroop task
Students will review how to ask a research question. Students will also work with the teacher and mentor to brainstorm and select a testable research question. Students will base their research question as potential modifications of the experiments from the Experiment bank. Based on their interest, three students or less can be grouped together.
Part 3: Background Research and Hypothesis
Students will work in their groups to find and summarize relevant research that builds off an existing body of research connected to the group’s research agenda. Afterward, students should create a hypothesis relating to their research question and background research.
Part 4: Research Study Proposal & Methods
Students begin work on their proposal with the mentor and teacher to figure out how their research will be executed/analyzed and potential results they may observe. If students complete this section early they can conduct a mini-pilot of their methods.
Part 5: Execute Experiment and Analysis of Results
Students will use this time to customize their experiments and execute their experiments while collecting data. Students will also look through and analyze the behavioral data they collected from their experiment.
Part 6: Research Findings Presentation
Students will prepare a PowerPoint presentation describing their research project, the results they obtained and their conclusions, and a discussion of the significance of their findings.