People who actually expect an unexpected event aren't more likely to spot these events than people who aren't anticipating anything, a new study suggests.
People who actually expect an unexpected event aren't more likely to spot these events than people who aren't anticipating anything, a new study suggests.
In the study, volunteers watched a video of two groups of people - some dressed in black, others in white - passing basketballs back and forth. The participants were told to count the passes between those dressed in white while ignoring those dressed in black. At one point in the video, a person in a gorilla suit walked into the game, faced the camera, pounded his chest, and then walked out of view. Some of the participants knew the gorilla would appear while others didn't know. All of those who had prior knowledge spotted the gorilla, compared to about half of those who weren't in the know.
However, only 17 percent of those who knew about the gorilla beforehand spotted one or more other unexpected events in the video, such as the background curtain changing color, compared with 29 percent of participants who didn't know about the gorilla beforehand.
When people know to look for an unexpected event (eg, a gorilla in a basketball game), they tend to notice that event. It was concluded that knowing that unexpected events might occur does not enhance the ability to detect other such events.
In the study, volunteers watched a video of two groups of people - some dressed in black, others in white - passing basketballs back and forth. The participants were told to count the passes between those dressed in white while ignoring those dressed in black. At one point in the video, a person in a gorilla suit walked into the game, faced the camera, pounded his chest, and then walked out of view. Some of the participants knew the gorilla would appear while others didn't know. All of those who had prior knowledge spotted the gorilla, compared to about half of those who weren't in the know.
However, only 17 percent of those who knew about the gorilla beforehand spotted one or more other unexpected events in the video, such as the background curtain changing color, compared with 29 percent of participants who didn't know about the gorilla beforehand.
When people know to look for an unexpected event (eg, a gorilla in a basketball game), they tend to notice that event. It was concluded that knowing that unexpected events might occur does not enhance the ability to detect other such events.
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