Here's a little test... sort of like the ball and cup trick, but with people.
 

Read these instructions carefully:

When you launch this video you will see three students in black shirts and three in white shirts. Those in black are only passing between themselves. Those in white are only passing between themselves. As they pass the balls the students will rotate around each other.

The goal is to count how many times someone wearing a white shirt passes the ball to another person wearing white.

Do not scroll down to read others answers before you take the test!


http://viscog.beckman.uiuc.edu:80/grafs/demos/15.html

15

my feed kept stopping but I think i saw 14

14

Yes, I saw the _____ !

:D

Best,

Kurt

Well, the playback was fairly choppy, but I believe it was 14, but at one point it looks like the ball bounces off of the head of one of the black shirt students, so I'm not sure that counts, but I'll assume it does.

Damn Kurt. I think I watched the thing 2 or 3 times while I was counting and never noticed.

I guess that proves that I have good focus???

Me too.

14. Never even saw it till the 2nd time.

I'm pretty sure I saw 14. Although the movie is called 15, so maybe I missed one... :D.


And yes, I saw it too...

My 7 year old and I watched this together. When it was over I said "14"... she said "Why was there a gorilla in there?" I had no idea what she was talking about until I watched it the second time without concentrating on the passing.

That's cool. From my Alma Mater as well!

There are a couple of shady/obstructed passes, but I believe it was 14. Saw the bananaphage the 1st time.

JP

So what does it proove?
If you keep your eye on the ball you miss out on the monkey business?

I think it proves that the brain doesn't really "see" everything that is right in front of your eyes if it's not expecting it to be there. I have used this test as an example of why, for instance, people pull out in front of a motorcycle all the while claiming they "never saw it". Your brain is accustomed to seeing cars on the road and not motorcycles, so when you look before pulling into an intersection, you don't even "see" the motorcycle that is right there. The motorcyclist assumes you're a malicious idiot and in reality, you really didn't "see" him...

Very interesting phenomenon.

How are you guys getting 14? I think you're missing one near the end that is tricky. On the eighth pass it appears the chick deflects it to the closest guy making two passes look like one.

But I'm pretty sure that's not the point:D

FWIW I went back to see what pass the deflection was on and when I was done I realized I missed Kong altogether again:D

I wonder if the results would have been the same if the ape had been bright red or blue. I suspect not. As it is, he blended with the folks in black which most of us were probably trying to specifically avoid looking at.

Yep - I saw the ape.

Did you guys catch the two letters on the wall in the background?

-Z