Compare a life-size model of a human skull with that of the primate you're studying, whether it be chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla or another type. Model skulls can be found in college-level anthropology classrooms, but are expensive to purchase on your own. Print pictures to scale from the Internet if you can't get a model skull, or purchase an anthropology textbook with scaled pictures of primate skulls.
Measure the skull with a tape measure. Measure all the way around the back of the skull, the width of the skull, the length of the skull and the inside of the skull. Record these measurements for primate and human skulls. Compare them to the measurements done for the same primates by a neuroscientist who had access to real skulls, brain-cast materials and lab equipment.
Observe the shape and indentations of both skulls for similarities and differences. Table your observations and name each primate based on the look, shape and size of the skull. Match the characteristics of the skull with those of the body shape, height, typical weight and thickness of each primate.
List basic cognitive processes experienced by humans and other primates, such as "self-awareness, components of theory of mind, and capacity for symbolic thought" as written by James K. Rilling in "Human and Primate Brains."
List graduated cognitive processes experienced by humans but not primates. Some of these processes include complex languages, complex tools and technologies, mathematics skills and artistic expression.
List which neural systems allow for the development of each skill. Rilling mentions the cerebellum and cerebral cortex as the roots of thought, reasoning and expression.
Acquire MRI scans with each section of the primate and human brain clearly labeled. Examine the differences and similarities in color and shape. Use a neuroscience textbook to guide you through the name and purpose of each section of the brain and what an active or inactive section of the brain looks like.
Match the physical characteristics examined in Section 1 with the social characteristics examined in Section 2. Make a table or chart that organizes both sections of information for each primate. See how the physical characteristics compare with the social and draw correlations between the two for each primate.