{"id":88,"date":"2015-10-10T18:17:38","date_gmt":"2015-10-10T18:17:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/cognitiveneuroj\/?p=88"},"modified":"2015-10-10T18:17:55","modified_gmt":"2015-10-10T18:17:55","slug":"seeing-without-really-seeing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/cognitiveneuroj\/2015\/10\/10\/seeing-without-really-seeing\/","title":{"rendered":"Seeing Without Really Seeing"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the more uncomfortable situations<\/strong> to be in is after you have introduced yourself to a person and discover he or she has been in your class all semester. How is it possible that this happens, especially in small class sizes like at the University of Richmond? Are you just self-absorbed, or is there a bigger reason?<\/p>\n

Luckily, you are not self-absorbed, you were just paying attention to the teacher! Inattentional blindness describes the phenomenon in which\u00a0a person fails to be aware of a visual stimulus because attention is directed away from it. Therefore, if you\u2019re focusing on the professor, you\u2019re less likely to notice other people in the room. Even though you take the occasional sweeping glance of the classroom, not much is registered because your attention is on the lecture.<\/p>\n

\"brain1\"<\/a>

Both the temporal and parietal lobes are associated with attention. https:\/\/www.udellgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/brain1.jpg<\/p><\/div>\n

So what is the reason for inattentional blindness?<\/strong> Based on the name alone, one might assume there is a defect in the visual systems, but that is not true. Inattentional blindness is due to limitations of our attentional systems\u00a0and\u00a0is also considered a defect in visual awareness. Visual awareness refers to being attentive to things in our visual field, and its neural pathway has been studied many times. Research shows visual awareness is associated with the ventral visual pathway from V1 to the temporal cortex, as well as\u00a0activation of frontal and parietal areas, which are associated with attention. One study suggests that the interaction between ventral areas and fronto-parietal areas is needed for visual awareness to occur. However, there are limitations to this theory, as awareness is very difficult to officially define and breaks down into several different ideas (Koivisto, Kainulainen, & Revonuso, 2011).<\/p>\n

Test Yourself<\/h2>\n

Supposedly the most phenomenal part of Inattentional blindness is how easily it happens. The most famous study, done by Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris in 1999, is best explained by action. You can try this test below.<\/p>\n