Seeing is believing?

Another brainteaser for you!

First of all, watch this video. Make sure you pay attention to the instructions at the beginning – you’ll be asked questions about it at the end.

 

What did you think?

 

And importantly – did you see the gorilla?!

Selective attention tests like these show how focused our attention can be, to the extent that we ignore something which should be obvious. This shows that our vision can actually be quite narrow, and might not necessarily be accurate.

But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing – when there is a lot going on around us, it is useful to be able to focus on one aspect of our environment e.g. crossing a busy road, without being aware of other competing stimuli. Attention has been compared to a ‘spotlight’ or a ‘zoom lens’ in that it can be focused on a wider or more specific area of the visual field, depending on what is needed for the current task.

So, do you believe that what you see is true?

Try this test out on your family and friends – and check out my previous Brainteasers post here.

 

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