Laura was driving home from school and she stopped at an intersection. She looked to her left and right for oncoming cars and then made a left turn, pulling out right in front of a motorcycle. Even though she looked in that direction, she failed to see the motorcycle, likely because she was looking only for cars. Her inability to see the motorcycle is a phenomenon known as:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Inattentional blindness is the phenomenon of not being able to see things in plain sight because our attention is focused elsewhere. In this case, Laura was focused on looking for cars and did not notice the motorcycle.

Laura Was Driving Home from School and She Stopped at an Intersection