Broader implications Inattentional blindness

1 broader implications

1.1 safety
1.2 illusion
1.3 police shootings

broader implications

although bulk of inattentional blindness research has been conducted in laboratory studies, phenomenon occurs in variety of everyday contexts. depending upon context, occurrence of inattentional blindness range embarrassing and/or humorous potentially devastating.

safety

several recent studies of explicit attention capture have found when observers focused on other object or event, experience inattentional blindness. finding has potentially tragic implications distracted driving. if person s attention focused elsewhere while driving, carrying on conversation or text messaging, example, fail notice salient , distinctive objects, such stop sign, lead serious injury , possibly death. there have been heinous incidents attributed inattentional blindness behind wheel. example, pennsylvania highway crew accidentally paved on dead deer lying on road. when questioned regarding actions, workers claimed have never seen it.

many policies being implemented around world decrease competition explicit attention capture while operating vehicle. example, there legislative efforts in many countries aimed @ banning or restricting use of cell phones while driving. research has shown use of both hands-free , hand-held cellular devices while driving results in failure of attention explicitly capture other salient , distinctive objects, leading delayed reaction times, inattentional blindness. study published in 1997, based on accident data in toronto, found risk involved in driving while using cell phone similar of driving drunk. in both cases, risk of collision 3 6 times higher compared sober driver not using cell phone. moreover, strayer et al. (2006) found when controlling driving difficulty , time on task, cell-phone drivers exhibited greater impairment intoxicated drivers, using high-fidelity driving simulator.

inattentional blindness prevalent in aviation. development of heads-up display (hud) pilots, projects information onto windshield or onto helmet-mounted display, has enabled pilots keep eyes on windshield, simulator studies have found hud may cause runway incursion accidents, 1 plane collides on runway. finding particularly concerning because huds being employed in automobiles, lead potential roadway incursions. when particular object or event captures attention extent beholders attentional capacity absorbed, resulting inattentional blindness has been known cause dramatic accidents. example, airliner crew, engrossed blinking console light, failed notice approaching ground , register hearing danger alarm sounding before airliner crashed.

illusion

collaborative efforts establish links between science , illusion have examined relationship of processes underlying inattentional blindness , concept of misdirection—a magician s ability manipulate attention in order prevent his/her audience seeing how trick performed. in several misdirection studies, including kuhn , tatler (2005), participants watch vanishing item magic trick. after initial trial, participants shown trick until detect item dropping magician s hand. participants see item drop on second trial. critical analyses involved differences in eye movements between detected , undetected trials. these repetition trials similar full-attention trial in inattentional blindness paradigm, both involve detection of unexpected event and, detecting unexpected event on second trial, demonstrate event readily perceivable.

the main difference between inattentional blindness , misdirection involves how attention manipulated. while inattentional blindness tasks require explicit distractor, attentional distraction in misdirection occurs through implicit yet systematic orchestration of attention. moreover, there several varieties of misdirection , different types induce different cognitive , perceptual processes, vary misdirection paradigm s resemblance inattentional blindness.

although aims of magic , illusion differ of neuroscience, magicians wish exploit cognitive weaknesses, whereas neuroscientists seek understand brain , neuronal significance of cognitive functions. several researchers have argued neuroscientists , psychologists can learn incorporating real world experience , knowledge of magicians fields of research. techniques developed on centuries of stage magic magicians may utilized neuroscience powerful probes of human cognition.

police shootings

when police officer s version of events differs video or forensic evidence, inattentional blindness has been used defense lawyers possibility. criticism of defense view used defend police shooting.