Change blindness is a perceptual phenomenon in which people fail to notice a significant change to a visual scene, such as when observers do not notice a major difference introduced into an image while it briefly flickers off and back on. It occurs because detecting a change requires focused attention on the specific part of the scene where the change happens, so without that directed focus a substantial alteration can go completely unnoticed.
Facts
Partially Attested
First Described YearSource credits William James as the first to mention the underlying lack of ability to detect change in 1890, not the first use of the term change blindness itself, which came later. Core ClaimChange blindness is a perceptual phenomenon that occurs when a change is introduced into a visual stimulus and the observer does not notice it. 1 Classification
Type of Phenomenon Connections
Sources
1. Change blindness, Wikipedia
opening definition paragraph
Change blindness is a perceptual phenomenon that occurs when a change in a visual stimulus is introduced and the observer does not notice it.
History section
William James (1842-1910) was the first to mention the lack of ability to detect change in his book Principles of Psychology (1890).
lead section, phenomenon-kind classification
Change blindness is a perceptual phenomenon in which people fail to notice a significant change to a visual scene, such as when observers do not notice a major difference introduced into an image while it briefly flickers off and back on.
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