Question

Gabriela loves animals. If there is a stray dog by the side of the road, which of the following scenarios is MOST likely and WHY, according to the lecture on Attention?

a) Gabriela is unlikely to notice the dog if she's engaged in a complex task.
b) Gabriela will always notice the dog, regardless of her current focus.
c) Gabriela will notice the dog only if it barks loudly.
d) Gabriela will notice the dog but choose to ignore it.

Answer 1

If Gabriela is engaged in a complex task, she is most likely to experience inattentional blindness and not notice the stray dog, as our attentional focus can limit our perception of other stimuli.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is about how attention affects our perception of the environment, particularly when we are focused on a task. According to the lecture on Attention, the most likely scenario for Gabriela, who loves animals, when encountering a stray dog by the side of the road is a) Gabriela is unlikely to notice the dog if she's engaged in a complex task.

This phenomenon is known as inattentional blindness, where a person fails to notice something completely visible because their attention is engaged elsewhere. This was famously demonstrated in the study by Simons and Chabris, where participants failed to notice a person in a gorilla suit during a basketball passing task. Gabriela's love for animals would not supersede the cognitive limitations imposed by her focus on a complex task.