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loyalsister

(13,390 posts)

54. Being able to ignore some stimuli is adaptive

Tue Jan 8, 2013, 05:46 PM

Jan 2013

Last edited Tue Jan 8, 2013, 09:19 PM - Edit history (1)

If a person were to drive along the highway and process every single piece of visual perception including peripheral how far do you think they would get? It's only because we can ignore our peripheral vision, and other details that we can direct our attention to gather and use meaningful information. If we spotted every gorilla, we would sacrifice so much of our attention that would not process or remember information we truly are interested in or need.

Suppose the gorilla is a semi across the highway. You miss it because you are paying attention to the cars in front, beside, and behind you.

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The Invisible Gorilla In The Room: One reason so many people are so ignorant [View all] Fumesucker Jan 2013 OP

IMO people are ignorant because they don't or can't listen with their senses. All through K-12 jody Jan 2013 #1

Pay too much attention and you get overwhelmed with data Fumesucker Jan 2013 #2

Agree. One must learn to focus on the topic not unlike concentration of an athlete, e.g. golfer. jody Jan 2013 #5

Our senses are to a big extent ad hoc hacks, vision particularly so Fumesucker Jan 2013 #9

Understand, that's why the "quiet eye" concept is so intriguing. Foveal vision feeds one part of jody Jan 2013 #10

I thought you probably knew, that was more for others reading the thread Fumesucker Jan 2013 #12

I've worked on vision concepts for so long as a competitor that it's now purely unconscious. jody Jan 2013 #14

I suspect though that those people in their environment could see things you found difficult Fumesucker Jan 2013 #15

I notice that in chess, at least at low levels hfojvt Jan 2013 #41

Did you ever watch the movie "Searching for Bobby Fischer"? CrispyQ Jan 2013 #53

The fact that vision can be so easily fooled... awoke_in_2003 Jan 2013 #19

And that our mind can be so easily fooled Fumesucker Jan 2013 #36

+1000. nt awoke_in_2003 Jan 2013 #49

What gorilla? Did you post the wrong video? (nt) Nye Bevan Jan 2013 #3

I watched it with my wife pscot Jan 2013 #6

LOL, same here! The second time I watched, I refused to believe it was... Poll_Blind Jan 2013 #43

It is why after every major event, except for plants, eyewitnesses see nothing graham4anything Jan 2013 #4

It's not only a weakness ... surrealAmerican Jan 2013 #7

That's right folks, don't touch that dial Fumesucker Jan 2013 #8

"The the fact that we can focus is not necessarily a problem" loyalsister Jan 2013 #11

I find it hard to believe you think the average freeper is as well informed as the average DUer Fumesucker Jan 2013 #13

Equating basic perceptual processes with purposeful intellectual processes is really reaching loyalsister Jan 2013 #17

I never mentioned intelligence, only information Fumesucker Jan 2013 #20

Seriously? loyalsister Jan 2013 #21

You don't think perceptual errors have anything to do with people being ignorant? Fumesucker Jan 2013 #23

I studied perception and memory loyalsister Jan 2013 #27

For a lot of people things that conflict with the propaganda are indeed unintentionally ignored Fumesucker Jan 2013 #29

The experiment shows that not seeing the gorilla is adaptive loyalsister Jan 2013 #33

This quote comes from the experimenters. Fumesucker Jan 2013 #35

If that's the case they are clueless loyalsister Jan 2013 #45

At no point have I indicated that missing the gorilla is not "natural" Fumesucker Jan 2013 #48

Being able to ignore some stimuli is adaptive loyalsister Jan 2013 #54

I counted fifteen passes and saw the gorilla Mojorabbit Jan 2013 #40

I can count things subconsciously. I don't know why. hunter Jan 2013 #58

You could turn that around Oilwellian Jan 2013 #47

When this first came out TlalocW Jan 2013 #16

Watch people driving by a car accident... DryHump Jan 2013 #18

I saw the gorilla. LWolf Jan 2013 #22

This is my favorite reason XRubicon Jan 2013 #24

Everyone is the hero of their own story n/t Fumesucker Jan 2013 #26

not me hfojvt Jan 2013 #42

DU is full of really choice invisible replies. PETRUS Jan 2013 #25

Media "balance" also got worse after the fairness doctrine was revoked CitizenK9 Jan 2013 #28

I counted fourteen passes and saw the gorilla Brother Buzz Jan 2013 #30

Congratulations, you're from Lake Wobegon Fumesucker Jan 2013 #31

Well, all our women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above Brother Buzz Jan 2013 #32

i interpret this as a commentary on pro sports Enrique Jan 2013 #34

It doesn't prove that we "miss" anything of the kind. It proves that we're programmed to be ancianita Jan 2013 #37

And foregrounding something leads to "missing" other things cthulu2016 Jan 2013 #38

It wasn't intended as a scientific experiment but as a demonstration of selective inattention Fumesucker Jan 2013 #39

I used the game of boggle to illustrate reality hfojvt Jan 2013 #44

Not me. I was keeping count and clearly saw the gorilla enter the scene. Duer 157099 Jan 2013 #46

Most of what we think we see and hear is a confabulation of the brain. Odin2005 Jan 2013 #50

People do not know how to see liberal N proud Jan 2013 #51

Interesting. Part of what's going on in this thread is the collision of two world views. alberg Jan 2013 #52

There is a third world view that is neither. Warren DeMontague Jan 2013 #56

Take enough psychedelics over the course of your lifetime Warren DeMontague Jan 2013 #55

I have the opposite problem... The gorilla made me forget what the assignment was! reformist2 Jan 2013 #57