[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Sign-in] [Mail] [Setup] [Help]
Status: Not Logged In; Sign In
|
Science/Tech See other Science/Tech Articles Title: Inattention blindness Didn't spot the dancing gorilla in famous video? Why people suffer from 'inattention blindness' It's the bizarre video that has attracted more than 1.8 million hits on YouTube. Unsuspecting viewers are invited to count how many times basketball players pass the ball to each other. But - halfway through - a person in a gorilla suit walks through the middle of the players. Incredibly, scientists discovered that of the people who watched the video who were able to count how many times the basketball was passed, as much as 40 per cent failed to see the person in the gorilla suit. Scroll down for the video Countdown: The students start passing the basketball between each other Countdown: The students start passing the basketball between each other Now a new study has discovered why so many people experience 'inattention blindness' - the phenomenon that leaves drivers on mobile phones prone to accidents and also makes the gorilla invisible to so many viewers of the famous video, it has been reported. Psychologists at the University of Utah found that people who fail to see something right in front of them while they are focusing on something else have a lower 'working memory capacity' - a measure of attention control, or the ability to focus attention when and where needed, and on more than one thing at a time. Janelle Seegmiller, psychology doctoral student and the study's first author, told the Psysorg website: 'Because people are different in how well they can focus their attention, this may influence whether you'll see something you're not expecting, in this case, a person in a gorilla suit walking across the computer screen.' But what's this? A person in a gorilla suit walks between the players But what's this? A person in a gorilla suit walks between the players Just passing through: The gorilla continues its passage through the basketball game Just passing through: The gorilla continues its passage through the basketball game The research found that those who noticed the gorilla were better at focusing their attention. Or, put another way, they are better at multitasking. The study's author's claimed the results were relevant to analysis into distracted driving and mobile phone use. Seegmiller added: 'You can imagine that if you're driving and road conditions aren't very good, unexpected things can happen, and individuals with better control over attention would be more likely to notice those unexpected events without having to be explicitly told to watch for them.' Better at multitasking? The study found that those who noticed the gorilla were better at focusing their attention Better at multitasking? The study found that those who noticed the gorilla were better at focusing their attention Jason Watson, assistant investigator with the University's Brain Institute, added: 'The potential implications are that if we are all paying attention as we are driving, some individuals may have enough extra flexibility in their attention to notice distractions that could cause accidents. 'That doesn't mean people ought to be self-distracting by talking on a cell phone while driving – even if they have better control over their attention. Our prior research has shown that very few individuals [only 2.5 percent] are capable of handling driving and talking on a cell phone without impairment.' Previous research had shown that inattention blindness explains why motorists can fail to see something right in front of them - like a red light turning green - because they are distracted by conversation and how it increases their risk of traffic accidents. Driving test: Researchers said the study's results were relevant to learn why some drivers on mobile phones were more prone to accidents Driving test: Researchers said the study's results were relevant to learn why some drivers on mobile phones were more prone to accidents According to Seegmiller, working memory capacity is the amount of information you can process in your working memory at once, adding: 'Working memory is the stuff you are dealing with right at that moment, like trying to solve a math problem or remember your grocery list. 'It's not long-term memory like remembering facts, dates and stuff you learned in school.' A total of 306 psychology students were tested with the gorilla video, but about a third of those were excluded because they had prior knowledge of the video. This left 197 students, aged between 18 and 35, whose test results were scrutinised. The study, which explains why some people are susceptible to inattention blindness while others are not, are to be published int he May issue of The Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning Memory and Cognition. Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/scien...-video.html#ixzz1K8W5Hiby Wonder how Inattention Blindness correlates with IQ? Study shows you can use only one mind circuit at a time but can switch from one to another if you decide to do so. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
|
||
|
[Home]
[Headlines]
[Latest Articles]
[Latest Comments]
[Post]
[Sign-in]
[Mail]
[Setup]
[Help]
|
||