How to Use Cedrus SuperLab and Response Pads for Your Neuroscience Projects? Brain Bee Ideas - SBNeC Escola

How to Use Cedrus SuperLab and Response Pads for Your Neuroscience Projects? Brain Bee Ideas - SBNeC Escola

If you're part of a Brain Bee competition or just passionate about neuroscience, you can build powerful and fun experiments using Cedrus SuperLab and Response Pads. These tools are used in real cognitive neuroscience labs—and now, you can use them too!

With SuperLab, you can present stimuli (images, words, sounds) on a screen, and with Response Pads, you can accurately measure the response time and accuracy—down to the millisecond.

Here are 5 experiment ideas that you can try. They’re perfect for Science Fairs, Brain Bee presentations, or even school neuroscience clubs:

1. Reaction Time: How Fast Is Your Brain?

• Show a green light or a beep.
  
  

• Ask participants to press a button as fast as possible.
  
  

• Then add complexity: use two colors, and assign a different button to each one.
  
  

• Research question: Does reaction time change when the brain has to think more?
  
  

This shows how the brain handles motor control and decision-making.

2. Stroop Effect: When the Brain Gets Confused

• Display the word “RED” in blue ink. Ask participants to say the color, not the word.
  
  

• Measure reaction time and error rate.
  
  

• Research question: Does conflicting information slow down thinking?
  
  

This taps into the anterior cingulate cortex, involved in conflict detection and attention.

3. Sustained Attention: How Long Can You Stay Focused?

• Show a stream of letters or sounds.
  
  

• Ask participants to respond only when a specific letter appears (like “X”).
  
  

• Run it for 5 or 10 minutes.
  
  

• Research question: Does performance decline over time? Does sleep or phone use affect it?
  
  

This experiment reveals how attention is a limited resource and is linked to bodily states (interoception).

4. Stress and Response Time

• First, run the task calmly.
  
  

• Then add stress: reduce time, add noise, or create pressure.
  
  

• Research question: How do stress or emotional states affect response speed and accuracy?
  
  

This lets you compare relaxed states (Zone 2) with high-tension states (Zone 3), involving bioelectrical emotions like fear or anger.

5. Working Memory: How Much Can You Hold in Mind?

• Show a sequence of items (letters, images, sounds).
  
  

• Ask participants to recall them in order.
  
  

• Increase difficulty gradually.
  
  

• Research question: Is visual memory better than auditory? Does age or time of day matter?
  
  

You’ll explore the brain’s prefrontal cortex and its ability to manage short-term information.

Tips for Your Experiment

• Start with a clear, simple question.
  
  

• Test it with yourself and a few friends first.
  
  

• Record everything: time, accuracy, emotions, sleep, mood, etc.
  
  

• Connect what you measure with real-life situations.
  
  

• Present your results at Brain Bee, Neuroscience Week, or school science events.
  
  

Bonus Insight: Your Body and Mind Are One

Using SuperLab and Response Pads helps you realize that thinking, feeling, and reacting are not just mental processes—they’re embodied. Your breathing, heart rate, oxygen levels, and even posture affect your brain’s performance.

You’ll go beyond thinking of the mind as just a set of thoughts. Instead, you’ll understand how your body and brain work as a connected system.