Mar 30, 2008
Brain Games: Attention Challenge
By: Alvaro Fernandez
(hat tip: Mind Hacks).
Please try this experiment, conceived by Simons and Chabris for their now classic study, and now packaged in a nicer video production. You will watch a brief video clip showing two teams, and your challenge is to count the TOTAL number of times that the basketballs change hands.
Click Here to view the Basketball Experiment clip.
You can read about the fascinating results here, and read the full study on sustained inattentional blindness (PDF).
Credit for pic: Haines World
I even had to rewind the clip because I didn’t think i could have missed that moon walk!!
It is amazing what you dont see if you’re not looking specifically
Yes, it is…and not just “what you dont see if you’re not looking specifically” but what you don’t see because you are looking specifically for something else…which probably is what we do during most of our careers
I was so proud of myself because I counted all 13 passes correctly… until the question about the bear popped up. Bear, what bear? I absolutely did not see it, of course. Fun video!
Couldn’t get the clip to play, but if it is the one where two teams of kids, one in white shirts, and one in black shirts are passing a basketball, I got a copy from HeartMath, and have been using it for years to start my anger management groups. Great tool for discussion on automatic thoughts.
WOW. That really opens up your mind on what is going on around you!
What BEAR!!! OMG I was so happy that i got the number of passes right.. until the ear question. How could i miss somthing that funny! i mean c’mon it was right there!
great clip. a bear what!!! moonwalking!!!!!
noooooooo
oo theres is a bear