Final answer:
Change blindness is more likely if the area of interest is small and the operator is under high task load, as these conditions can prevent people from noticing changes in a visual scene due to limited attentional capacity.
Step-by-step explanation:
Change blindness is more likely to occur under specific conditions, particularly when our attention is occupied by demanding tasks. It refers to the tendency of people to fail to detect changes in a visual stimulus when those changes occur during a visual disruption, like a sudden brief lapse in visual continuity. So, when is change blindness more likely?
- Stimuli is salient: Contrary to the options provided, change blindness is less likely if the stimuli are salient or attention-grabbing. Salient stimuli easily attract our attention, which reduces the chances of missing changes.
- Area of interest is small: A smaller area of interest can contribute to change blindness because our attention is focused on a limited portion of the visual field, and we may overlook changes occurring outside of this area.
- Operator is under high task load: When a person, or 'operator,' is dealing with a high workload, their cognitive resources are strained, which increases the likelihood of experiencing change blindness due to limited attentional capacity.
- Event is expected: If an event is fully expected, it is less likely to result in change blindness. Unexpected changes are more likely to go unnoticed.
Based on research and experiments on inattentional blindness, such as the one conducted with the red cross or the famous 'invisible gorilla' study, focused attention on a demanding task greatly increases the chances of not noticing other visual information. In this context, change blindness is more likely to occur when an operator is under high task load and attentional resources are diverted from the broader visual scene.