Can You Beat Selective Attention?
Part of the Psychology Playtime Series
Dr. Carla Engelbrecht is an expert in educational technology and CEO and Founder of Betweened, expertly curated, family-friendly entertainment (iOS and Android). Her writing focuses on helping caregivers connect with kids through technology.
The Basketball Challenge is a mind-bending experiment that highlights how our attention works and what we might overlook when we’re too focused. Cognitive psychology is full of amazing experiments that let us learn about our brains while creating great connections with our children. These activities are not only entertaining but also lead to great discussions about how we think.
🎯 Focus Frenzy: The Basketball Challenge
1️⃣ Explain to everyone that you’re about to watch a video. Their job is to count the number of passes the players wearing white make.
2️⃣ Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo
3️⃣ When you’re done, ask if anyone saw anything unusual? Did anyone see a person in a gorilla suit walk through?
Don't worry if you didn’t – only about half of viewers do!
🔍 The Science Behind It
This phenomenon is known as "Selective Attention," where intense focus on one task can make us blind to other events.
Selective Attention is a cognitive process that filters our perception. When we're deeply focused on a task, like counting basketball passes, our brains might overlook other happenings, like a person in a gorilla suit. It's a great example of how our minds work and how easily our attention can be swayed. This phenomenon was famously demonstrated by Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons in their classic "Invisible Gorilla" experiment.
💡 Talk About It
After watching the video, sit down with your child to chat about what they noticed. Some potential questions to ask:
How did you feel when you realized you missed something?
When might this happen in our everyday life?
Can you think of a time when you were so focused on one thing that you missed something else?
By exploring these questions, you can help your child develop an awareness of their own focus and how perception works. It's a great way to introduce a bit of psychology while sharing some laughs together!
Bonus: brainstorm your own selective attention experiment video to create and try with friends!
Dr. Carla Engelbrecht is a highly-selective mom, product leader, and internationally recognized expert on children’s education and entertainment technology. As founder of Betweened, she's on a mission to transform entertainment for kids and their families. If you haven’t already, sign up for the newsletter to get more articles like this or enjoy our free 60 minute video on how to manage when technology goes sideways.
