Question

What term best describes not perceiving a person in a gorilla suit when asked to count the number of people playing basketball? a. inattentional blindness b. not paying attention c. absent-mindedness d. minimally conscious state

Short answer

a. inattentional blindness

Step-by-step solution

Understand the Question

The question asks for a term that describes failing to notice an unexpected stimulus (a person in a gorilla suit) while focusing on counting basketball players. This is a psychological phenomenon.

Define Each Option

a. Inattentional Blindness: A psychological lack of attention that is not associated with any vision defects or deficits and involves missing something in plain sight when focusing on another task. b. Not Paying Attention: A general phrase that indicates someone is not concentrating but is not a technical term. c. Absent-mindedness: A simple lapse in attention or memory, often involving one forgetting to do something important. d. Minimally Conscious State: A medical condition where a person shows minimal but definite evidence of being aware of themselves or their environment.

Match the Definition with the Scenario

The scenario describes a person failing to notice something (the person in the gorilla suit) while focused on another task (counting people playing basketball). This matches the definition of inattentional blindness.

Key concepts

Selective Attention

Selective attention is the mental process of focusing on a particular object, task, or activity while ignoring other distractions in the environment. In the basketball and gorilla suit example, it means concentrating on counting the players.
This focus directs our cognitive resources to specific stimuli, allowing us to process information efficiently. However, it can also result in inattentional blindness, where unexpected events or changes in the environment go unnoticed.

One can imagine selective attention as a spotlight, illuminating only the important parts of our field of perception. It is like listening to a favorite song, where all other sounds seem to fade away.

• Helps in effectively managing tasks.
• May result in missing peripheral details, like someone in a gorilla suit!

Selectively attending to certain inputs can drastically improve efficiency, but be wary of what might be missed. This phenomenon highlights how our attention systems are both focused and limited.

Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive psychology involves the study of mental processes such as perception, memory, and attention, explaining how we understand and interact with the world. It aims to unravel how people process information and how these processes affect behavior.
For instance, in the context of inattentional blindness, cognitive psychology helps explain why individuals can miss an obvious stimulus, like the gorilla, when their attention is directed elsewhere.

This field offers insights into:

• How we think and learn.
• Perceptual blocks and attention limits.
• Strategies for better attention management.

Cognitive psychology underpins the principles of selective attention, leading to fascinating discussions about how our brains manage the vast amount of information we encounter daily. From solving puzzles to interpreting social cues, each action reflects complex mental operations guided by cognitive psychology.

Visual Perception

Visual perception involves the brain's capacity to process and interpret visual information from the environment, forming our conscious experience of the world around us. In the context of the gorilla experiment, visual perception is hijacked by selective attention, causing the observer to oversee an out-of-place element due to concentrated focus elsewhere.
This perceptual process is constantly at work:

• Recognition of shapes and forms.
• Identifying movement and positions.
• Distinguishing colors and contrasts.

The captivating aspect of visual perception is how it integrates with attention to help us navigate complex settings, such as busy streets full of stimuli. Yet, moments like missing an unusual element in a familiar scene remind us of its limitations. By understanding our perceptual mechanisms, we can understand why we sometimes don't see things even when they are right in front of us.