Inattentional Blindness
Definition #
Inattentional blindness is an explanation for our inability to see certain changes that are usually considered obvious.
(Video: YouTube)
Commentary #
Derren Brown has demonstrated this effect with different races, accents, and even genders! While the original studies had a fail rate of 75%, Brown's informal study had about a 50% fail rate.
Meta #
Think of all the things we don't notice. Did you notice that in the first video the color of the presenter's shirt changed?
See Also #
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Person Swap at YouTube for Derren Brown's version of this experiment.
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What Clown on a Unicycle? Studying Cellphone Distraction at The New York Times for a discussion about a similar phenomenon.