Change Blindness and Change Blindness Blindness:

Two Ways of Not Seeing.

Daniel T. Levin

Vanderbilt University

Change Blindness• We are “blind” to between-view

changes

Change Blindness Blindness• We are blind to this fact - a

metacognitive error

You are watching a movie. In a certain scene, two actors are having a conversation in a restaurant and in a series of shots you see one actor, then the other as each in turn talk. In the first half of the scene, actor A is wearing a large colorful scarf. In the middle of the scene, the camera cuts to actor A, but now the scarf is missing.

Predictions of Success in Change Detection

Levin, Momen, Drivdahl, & Simons, 2000

Predicted Success Actual SuccessPlate 76.3% 0%Scarf 90.5% 0%Actor 69.5% 0%Person 97.6% 46%

Predicting Success with Delays and Videos

" Imagine that you are watching a movie. In a certain scene, two actors are having a conversation in a restaurant. In a series of shots you see one actor, then the other as each in turn talks. In one shot, there are red plates on the table. While you are watching this shot, you stop the VCR and go to another room to answer the telephone. The call is from your friend who has a brief question for you, and you talk on the phone for one minute. After hanging up the phone, you play the movie again and it starts on the next shot. In this shot, the plates are white instead of red. You did not expect this change beforehand."

Predicting Success with Delays and Videos

Levin, Drivdahl, Momen, & Beck (in review)

Stills Mean # Pred Success out of4 possible (n)

Immediate 3.00 (13)Minute 2.89 (20)Hour 2.59 (18)

Predicting Success with Delays and Videos

Levin, Drivdahl, Momen, & Beck (in review)

Stills Mean # Pred Success out of4 possible (n)

Immediate 3.00 (13)Minute 2.89 (20)Hour 2.59 (18)

Predicting Success with Delays and Videos

Levin, Drivdahl, Momen, & Beck (in review)

Stills Mean # Pred Success out of4 possible (n)

Immediate 3.00 (13)Minute 2.89 (20)Hour 2.59 (18)

VideoImmediate 2.65 (20)Minute 2.70 (19)

Underestimates of Picture Memory

12001000800600400200050

60

70

80

90

100

Estimate

Standing (1973)

Standing et al (1970)

Actual and Estimated Picture Memory

N in inspection set

% Correct

Beliefs about visual attention1. Breadth of Spotlight(Flavell, Green, & Flavell, 1995)

Imagine you are looking at a friend standing in line for a movie across the street from you. While you are looking at your friend would you see a fire hydrant ten feet away from him/her?

A. I would definitely not see the fire hydrantB. I would probably not see the fire hydrantC. There is about a 50% probability that I would see the fire hydrantD. I would probably see the fire hydrantE. I would definitely see the fire hydrant

Thanks to:

Dan SimonsBonnie AngeloneMelissa BeckChris ChabrisSarah DrivdahlNausheen MomenAlex Varakin