Part Two: Now that you've watched the video and have counted the number of passes made between students in the white T-shirts, did you notice anything unusual about this video? Please return now to the link below to watch the same video again without counting the number of passes. Is there anything you missed in your first time watching? Return here once again for final comments after viewing.

http://viscog.beckman.uiuc.edu/flashmovie/15.php

Did you find anything unusual? The majority of people who take this test somehow miss the gorilla in the room. This is called inattention blindness. It is caused when an intense focus of attention on one thing causes us to miss really obvious things, like the guy in the gorilla costume. The part about one gender being better than the other is not actually true. It was added to increase your desire to get it right. This is a powerful demonstration of how, if we overly focus on any one belief or any one thing, we are much more prone to miss key elements of the bigger picture.

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This test is part of a thought-provoking essay on fluid intelligence available here

For more excellent work of Prof. Daniel Simons in the field of perception, click here

For some examples of major inattention blindness at the global level, click here

For a selection of the most inspiring resources available on the Internet, click here

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  Laughing Baby (3 min)
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  Elephant Artist (12 min)
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  World's Best Dad (4 min)
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  Every One of Us (5 min)
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  Spiritual Prodigy (5 min)
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  Teen Transformation (4m)
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  The Global Shift (6 min)
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  Softball Miracle (6 min)
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  Amazing Speaker (15 m)
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  Biggest Surprise (7 min)
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  Cover-up Videos (5 min)
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  Free Hugs Campaign (5)
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  Dancing Matt (5 min)
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  I Choose Love (6 min)
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  Perceptual Test (2 min)