Mind

Why a blink of blank screen hides big changes: change blindness

Two identical night scenes, each with a small house; the house is orange in one and blue in the other, with a grey blank frame between them
30seconds
The 30-second version

Show someone two nearly identical pictures with a blink of blank screen between them, and a large change can stay hidden for many seconds. This is change blindness.

Flicker a scene yourself, hunt for the one object that changes, then switch the blank off and watch the same change jump out. Find out why your brain stores so little, what the blank takes away, and why fewer than half of people noticed when a stranger was swapped mid-conversation.

Deep dive · 4 min
Deep dive · 4 min

More in Mind

View all →