The Phenomenon of Inattentional Blindness

What is the term for failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere?

a. the pop out phenomenon
b. parallel processing
c. sequential processing
d. inattentional blindness

Answer:

Inattentional blindness is the term for failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere.

The term for failing to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere is inattentional blindness. This psychological phenomenon can be explained through experiments such as the one described, where observers were asked to focus on either black or white objects on a screen, and about a third of them failed to observe a red cross passing on the screen due to their attention being focused elsewhere (Most, Simons, Scholl, & Chabris, 2000). This implies that our perception of what we see is significantly influenced by our focus. It doesn't mean the objects are out of sight; rather, due to our attention being otherwise occupied, we simply fail to register them in our conscious perception.