Chapter 6 - Change Blindness & Eyewitness Testimony

Question 1

What is change blindness?

Answer 1

Significant change in the visual environment is not noticed

Question 1

What are the 3 main methodologies used to study change blindness

Answer 1

1. Saccade-contingent changes
2. Flicker Paradigm
3. Film clips/real-life interactions

Question 2

What is saccade-contingent changes

Answer 2

• Eye moves from one focal point to
  another
• New information is excluded from
  processing during motion

Question 3

What type of cognitive functions influence change detection

Answer 3

1. Meaningfulness of the image
2. Visual imagery skills
3. Instructions

Question 4

What is the flicker paradigm?

Answer 4

• Blank display between two matched photos
• Told to expect a change
• Timed until notice the change

Question 5

Which memory system is involved when the fraction of a second blank display is included in the methodology

Answer 5

Sensory Memory

Question 6

Briefly describe the experiment done by Humphreys, Hodsoll & Campbell (2005)?

Answer 6

• Saw pictures of a group of 4 women who were a different race (white & Indian)
• Changes in Indian faces detected more quickly by Indian participants
• Same pattern found for White faces & White participants

Question 7

What is the Cross-race identification effect?

Answer 7

z

Question 8

What is the Change probability effect?

Answer 8

Change is easier to detect when expected

Question 9

Which methodologies have the Change is easier to detect when expected and why?

Answer 9

• Saccade-dependent & flicker tasks
• Intentional encoding tasks
• Informed to expect change

Question 10

What is Unconscious transference?

Answer 10

The transfer of one person’s identity to that of another person from a
different setting, time or context

Question 11

What is the Illusion of continuity?

Answer 11

Expectations about how the world works

Question 12

What is inattentional blindness?

Answer 12

Failure to see an unexpected object that one may be looking at directly when one’s attention is elsewhere

Question 13

What methodologies are used to study in inattentional blindness?

Answer 13

1. Visual array task (lab settings)
2. Lifelike visual situations (staged events)

Question 14

What is an example of visual array task?

Answer 14

• Present target array of items (e.g., coloured squares)
• After short interval, show items again
• Participant – decide if anything has changed (e.g., colour)

Question 15

What causes people to notice unexpected objects or events?

Answer 15

Attentional goals determine whether unexpected events will be noticed