Final answer:
Study IE486 while watching TV exemplifies Divided Attention, where the brain processes several sources of information simultaneously. This can diminish performance and lead to inattentional blindness, a phenomenon where one fails to notice visible things due to the focus being elsewhere.
Step-by-step explanation:
Studying IE486 (presumably an engineering course) while watching a serial show on TV is an example of Divided Attention. As opposed to focused attention, where the brain concentrates on a single task, divided attention involves the brain processing multiple sources of information at the same time. However, due to the limited capacity of human attention, this multitasking can lead to decreased performance in both tasks. The phrase inattentional blindness comes into play in this context as it refers to the failure to notice something fully visible because attention is occupied elsewhere, much like the participants in the famous gorilla/basketball study by Simons and Chabris (1999) who didn't notice the gorilla while counting passes.
The resources demanded by a task that requires significant attention can cause increased energy demands on the brain and can lead to stress, especially during periods of high-attention activity. When attention is split between tasks, such as studying while watching TV, the brain must distribute its limited resources over multiple activities, which can compromise the efficiency and effectiveness of learning.