In the context of visual stimuli, what does the phenomenon of change blindness refer to in AP Psychology?

• A. The inability to distinguish between different colors in a visual scene.
• B. The tendency to focus on a single object while ignoring the background.
• C. The failure to notice significant changes in a visual scene when those changes coincide with a visual disruption, such as a brief flicker or eye movement.
• D. The automatic detection of all changes in a visual environment, regardless of attention.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand that change blindness is a phenomenon studied in cognitive psychology, particularly in the area of visual perception and attention.
2. Step 2: Recognize that change blindness occurs when a person fails to notice significant changes in a visual scene, especially when those changes happen during a visual disruption like a brief flicker, eye movement, or a blink.
3. Step 3: Differentiate change blindness from other visual phenomena such as color blindness (inability to distinguish colors) or selective attention (focusing on one object while ignoring others).
4. Step 4: Note that change blindness highlights the limits of our visual attention and memory, showing that we do not automatically detect all changes in our environment without focused attention.
5. Step 5: Summarize that in AP Psychology, change blindness refers specifically to the failure to notice changes in a scene when those changes coincide with a visual disruption, emphasizing the role of attention in perception.