When you can’t see the wood for the trees

Have you ever noticed how you can fail to notice the seemingly obvious? Coaches, and occasionally educators, will advise their students to focus on the task at hand, to give 100% attention to the exclusion of all else.

Is this wise advice? Probably not. In a seminal study on inattentional blindness, Simons and Chabris (1999) demonstrated how we can sometimes lose focus on important issues when we concentrate fully on other matters. Likewise, in a study based on a real-world incident, Chabris et al (2011) provided supporting evidence of this phenomenon that resulted in a Boston police officer being exonerated of a criminal offence. 

In a classroom it can seem like a good idea to focus on the topic, or a particular student or group. In doing so, one runs the risk of not noticing something else of equal or greater importance. 

See for yourself:

• Chabris, C.F., Weinberger, A., Fontaine, M., and Simons, D.J. 2011. You do not talk about Fight Club if you do not notice Fight Club: Inattentional blindness for a simulated real-world assault. i-Perception, 2(2), p.150.
• Simons, D.J. and Chabris, C.F., 1999. Gorillas in our midst: Sustained inattentional blindness for dynamic events. Perception-London, 28(9), pp.1059-1074.