Objectives for Creation

In collaboration with the Northeastern's Psychology Department CRL (Categorization and Reasoning Lab) team, this senior-level Multimedia class, developed an immersive computer game that will accompany a study that investigates whether third to sixth grade children make inferences about the species in the game based upon taxonomical references or relational inferences.

This diagram displays a taxonomic relationship. A taxonomic relationship is one where we focus on similarities between creatures, we relate a toad to a bullfrog because they share physical similarities.

This diagram displays a relational inference. A relational inference is one where we relate creatures to one another based on their habitat and food chain position. If a bullfrog has a disease a heron might also have that disease because it eats the frog. A beaver shares the same habitat so it too may have the disease.