Simon and Chabris - Cognitive Area

Question 1

Background:

Answer 1

Inattentional blindness: Failing to notice unexpected events when focused on a task.
Inspired by Neisser’s research, which used overlapping basketball games to test selective attention.

Question 2

Sample

Answer 2

228 participants (mostly undergraduates).
Final analysis: 192 participants (some data removed for issues like prior awareness).

Question 3

Procedure

Answer 3

-Participants watched a video (lasting 75 seconds) of two basketball teams (black & white shirts) passing a ball.
-They had to count the passes made by either the black or white team.
-Two unexpected events occurred:
-Gorilla walked through.
-Umbrella woman walked through.
Conditions varied:
Transparent vs. Opaque video.
Easy task (counting passes) vs. Hard task (counting bounce & aerial passes separately).
After watching, participants answered questions, including:
“Did you see anything unusual?”

Question 4

Findings

Answer 4

• 46% failed to notice the unexpected event
  More likely to miss it when:
  Task was harder.
  White team was being observed (gorilla was noticed more with the black team).

Question 5

Aim

Answer 5

To investigate how much people fail to notice unexpected events when focusing on a task.

Question 6

Conclusions

Answer 6

Conclusion:
Attention is selective—we often miss things we’re not focusing on.
Inattentional blindness happens even when unexpected events are large and visible.

Question 7

Research Method:

Answer 7

Laboratory experiment

Question 8

Iv

Answer 8

Type of video – Transparent vs. Opaque
Type of task – Easy vs. Hard
Team being observed – Black vs. White
Unexpected event – Gorilla vs. Umbrella woman

Question 9

Dv

Answer 9

Whether participants noticed the unexpected event (Yes/No).