A 15-year-old student developed a computer game with a range of virtual mazes for Brandeis University researchers exploring the role of theta waves in epilepsy and spatial reasoning. A two-dimensional overview of one sample maze, having several corridors and eight T-shaped junctions, appears at right. The mazes were carefully designed so that all of their visual features were uniform, ensuring that subjects could not rely on landmarks to help them find their way through.
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The images below illustrate a "player's eye view" of the game. Subjects used the arrow keys on a computer keyboard to choose to go right or left at each junction. The subjects playing the game were first given several runs through a maze marked with arrows to help them learn the spatial layout. Subsequently, the arrows were removed and the subjects were asked to navigate the maze based soley on what he or she had previously learned.
Images: JEREMY CAPLAN, Brandeis University
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