Abstract
Inattentional blindness studies have shown that an unexpected object may go unnoticed if it does not share the property specified in the task instructions. Our aim was to demonstrate that observers develop an attentional set for a property not specified in the task instructions if it allows easier performance of the primary task. Three experiments were conducted using a dynamic selective-looking paradigm. Stimuli comprised four black squares and four white diamonds, so that shape and colour varied together. Task instructions specified shape but observers developed an attentional set for colour, because we made the black-white discrimination easier than the square-diamond discrimination. None of the observers instructed to count bounces by squares reported an unexpected white square, whereas two-thirds of observers instructed to count bounces by diamonds did report the white square. When attentional set departs from task instructions, you may fail to see what you were told to look for.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 221-230 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Consciousness and Cognition |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2013 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Attentional set
- Colour discrimination
- Inattentional blindness
- Perceptual load
- Selective-looking paradigm
- Shape discrimination
- Sustained inattentional blindness
- Task instructions
Cite this
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When you fail to see what you were told to look for : Inattentional blindness and task instructions. / Aimola Davies, Anne M.; Waterman, Stephen; White, Rebekah C.; Davies, Martin.
In: Consciousness and Cognition, Vol. 22, No. 1, 2013, p. 221-230.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - When you fail to see what you were told to look for
T2 - Inattentional blindness and task instructions
AU - Aimola Davies, Anne M.
AU - Waterman, Stephen
AU - White, Rebekah C.
AU - Davies, Martin
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - Inattentional blindness studies have shown that an unexpected object may go unnoticed if it does not share the property specified in the task instructions. Our aim was to demonstrate that observers develop an attentional set for a property not specified in the task instructions if it allows easier performance of the primary task. Three experiments were conducted using a dynamic selective-looking paradigm. Stimuli comprised four black squares and four white diamonds, so that shape and colour varied together. Task instructions specified shape but observers developed an attentional set for colour, because we made the black-white discrimination easier than the square-diamond discrimination. None of the observers instructed to count bounces by squares reported an unexpected white square, whereas two-thirds of observers instructed to count bounces by diamonds did report the white square. When attentional set departs from task instructions, you may fail to see what you were told to look for.
AB - Inattentional blindness studies have shown that an unexpected object may go unnoticed if it does not share the property specified in the task instructions. Our aim was to demonstrate that observers develop an attentional set for a property not specified in the task instructions if it allows easier performance of the primary task. Three experiments were conducted using a dynamic selective-looking paradigm. Stimuli comprised four black squares and four white diamonds, so that shape and colour varied together. Task instructions specified shape but observers developed an attentional set for colour, because we made the black-white discrimination easier than the square-diamond discrimination. None of the observers instructed to count bounces by squares reported an unexpected white square, whereas two-thirds of observers instructed to count bounces by diamonds did report the white square. When attentional set departs from task instructions, you may fail to see what you were told to look for.
KW - Attentional set
KW - Colour discrimination
KW - Inattentional blindness
KW - Perceptual load
KW - Selective-looking paradigm
KW - Shape discrimination
KW - Sustained inattentional blindness
KW - Task instructions
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84872665178&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.concog.2012.11.015
DO - 10.1016/j.concog.2012.11.015
M3 - Article
VL - 22
SP - 221
EP - 230
JO - Consciousness and Cognition
JF - Consciousness and Cognition
SN - 1053-8100
IS - 1
ER -