Inattentional blindness to unexpected events in 8–15-year-olds

Abstract

If attention is diverted to a specific attention-demanding task, observers often fail to notice an unexpected event even if it is directly fixated, a phenomenon known as inattentional blindness (IB). To investigate the developmental course of this phenomenon, an IB task based on one used by Simons and Chabris (1999, Perception, 28, 1059–1074) was presented to 480 children between the ages 8 and 15. This task tested the ability to perceive an unexpected object while performing a counting task. Older children were more likely to perceive the unexpected event than were younger children, and they almost reached adult performance levels at the age of 11. Children from 8 to 10 years display significantly higher IB levels, suggesting that this age group has lower attention resources to detect unexpected objects than do adolescents or adults. These developmental trends in IB have important implications for parents, educators, and government policy makers with respect to critical practical issues such as traffic safety.