Simons and Chabris

Question 1

Define inattentional blindness (Simons and Chabris).

Answer 1

The failure to see an event because you are too focussed on other elements of what you can see. The ‘missed’ information reaches our brain but is missed.

Question 2

Describe the aim of Simons and Chabris’ study.

Answer 2

Wanted to confirm inattentional blindness in a realistic setting.

Question 3

How does Neisser’s basketball study (1975) relate to the Simon and Chabris study?

Answer 3

The study involved a basketball game where participants were told to press a key when their specific colour team made a pass, meanwhile a woman with an umbrella walked across the screen for 4 secs. This is a very similar study to Simon and Chabris’.

Question 4

How many participants in Neisser’s basketball study reported seeing the woman (Simon and Chabris)?

Answer 4

6/28

Question 5

Why was the Neisser basketball study low in ecological validity (Simon and Chabris)?

Answer 5

Because the game was recorded separately for the two teams and edited together, making it look transparent and unrealistic.

Question 6

Describe the procedure in Simon and Chabris’ study.

Answer 6

Participants watched one video (75 secs long) of a basketball game and were told to ‘count the number of passes’ for either the white or black team. An unexpected event would occur in the video and at the end participants had to answer 3 closed questions. If the answers to any of the questions were ‘yes’ they would be asked to provide details. Participants were debriefed at the end, including rewatching the video.

Question 7

Describe the sample from the Simon and Chabris study.

Answer 7

228 consenting volunteers who were mostly undergraduates at Harvard University, but only 192 were used. Offered payment or a ‘large candy bar’.

Question 8

Describe the unexpected events in Simon and Chabris’ study.

Answer 8

Happens between 44 and 48 seconds, occurs for 5 seconds:
- A tall woman with an open umbrella who would walk across the screen from left to right
- A short woman in a gorilla costume who would walk across the screen from left to right

Question 9

What are the 3 closed questions asked in Simon and Chabris’ study?

Answer 9

• Did you notice anything unusual?
• Did you notice anything other than the 6 players?
• Did you see a gorilla/ woman carrying and umbrella walk across the screen?

Question 10

What did it mean if the participants were in the easy condition?

Answer 10

Counting the passes made by their team.

Question 11

What did it mean if the participants were in the hard condition?

Answer 11

Counting and recording chest passes vs bounce passes

Question 12

Describe the overall inattentional blindness results.

Answer 12

46% didn’t see the unexpected event

Question 13

Describe the easy vs hard condition results.

Answer 13

• 64% saw the unexpected event in the easy condition
• 45% saw the unexpected event in the hard condition

Question 14

Describe the conclusions made from Simon and Chabris’ study.

Answer 14

The more focus needed to pay attention to something else, the more likely inattentional blindness will happen.