Brain Lab I
Name: __________________
Period:___ Date: _________
“Web Quest”
Directions: Go to the following website: a https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/introb.html
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Scroll down to the section entitled “Brain Basics.”
Use the website to complete and answer each question below.
1. Click on the site called “Lobes of the Brain.” Look at the diagram on this page and notice the location
of each lobe. From the information provided, give a specific description of the functions of each lobe:
a. Occipital Lobe
b. Frontal Lobe
c. Temporal Lobe
d. Parietal Lobe
2. Scroll down to the bottom of this page and find the section about Phineas Gage. Here you can see some
pictures of his skull which is now on display at Harvard’s School of Medicine. Click on the link “More
about poor Mr. Gage.” On the next page, click the link “Phineas Gage’s story.” Skim the story about
his accident.
 What changes were evident in Gage’s behavior and abilities as a result of the
damage to his frontal lobe?
3. Click back 3 times to the page showing the “Brain Basics” section. Click on “The Brain – Right Down
the Middle.” Read the descriptions of the following brain areas and explain their functions in your own
words:
a. The Cerebral Cortex
b. The Cerebellum
c. The Hypothalamus
d. The Thalamus
4. Click back one page again. Under “Brain Basics,” click on the link “1 Brain or 2 – Split Brain
Experiments.” Scroll down to the section labeled “Right side-left side.” Read the information there and
answer the following questions:
a. What percentage of right-handed people show a left-side of the brain dominance
for language?
b. What percentage of left-handed people show a left-side dominance for language?
Scroll down further on this page to the box with the picture showing a woman/man’s face.
c. Which face would a split-brained person POINT TO if asked to point to the normal
face? With which hand?
d. When asked to VERBALIZE which face they see, which one would they say?
5. Click back again to the prior page. Click on the link “She Brains, He Brains.” Answer these two
questions from this site:
a. At birth, how much larger is a typical male brain compared to a female brain?
b. What has research shown so far about differences in intelligence and specialized
abilities between men and women?
6. Click back again to the prior page and click on the link “Brain Size/Cerebral Cortex.” Look at the chart
that compares the brain weight of various species and make the following comparisons:
a. Cat vs. Dog?
b. Elephant vs. Human?
c. What specific biological explanation is offered as to why brain weight by itself
does not correlate with intelligence?