1. Wacky Ties
Background
The phenomenon of change blindness is a recent
topic of social psychological research which has
quickly gained popularity. Some researchers have
questioned whether the ability to notice a change
in one’s environment is due to participant
characteristics, such as narcissism or self-esteem
(Liang & Yu, 2012), or if it is due to the salience
of the change (Becker & Pashler, 2002). The
current study examined predictors of change
blindness, or the inability to notice that
something has changed in one’s environment.
Previous studies have argued that attention may
be a major contributor to the phenomenon of
change blindness. One proposed explanation for
the blindness effect in change blindness is that
the changing feature may not be salient, for
whatever reason, to the viewer (Simons, 2005).
That is, the changing feature may not stand out
from the background enough for the viewer to
direct his/her attention toward it. Although past
studies have examined change blindness using
seemingly salient features (e.g., a gorilla in a
basketball game), no known studies have literally
examined or compared the salience of the
changing feature itself.
Kendall Swinney, J. Doug Pickard, Kari L. Koester, Derek Foster,
G. Ray Brasher, Samuel Armstrong, and
Dr. Jana Hackathorn
Murray State University
Results
Hypothesis 1. The chi-square test indicated there was a
significant difference between the two salience
conditions, χ2 (1; N = 53) = 23.46, p < .0001. Participants
noticed the change 21% of the time in the low salience
condition, but 88% of the time in the high salience
condition. (Figure 2).
Hypothesis 2: Binary logistic regression indicated that
salience was the only significant predictor of one’s ability
to notice the change, c2(1) = 29.60, b = 1.92, OR = 6.81,
R2 = .57, p < .001. However, cognitive load was marginally
significant, b = .09, OR = 1.10, p = .052. When all
variables aside from salience were removed from the
model, salience accounted for 51% of the overall
variance.
Discussion
This study supports the notion that one’s ability to
notice a change is due to the salience of the change. Our
results support our hypothesis that high salience
decreases the likelihood of change blindness to occur. It
also appears that cognitive load may have been a
predictor is power was increased. However, self-esteem
and narcissism do not appear to be predictors of change
blindness.
Future research should aim to look at various levels
of salience in order to better understand how a change
becomes salient for the viewer. Additionally, future
studies may evaluate the effect of cognitive load on
change blindness in order to determine if it is a
significant predictor once power is increased.
References available upon request
Figure 1. Low salience (left) and High salience (right) conditions.
Method
Participants
Undergraduate psychology students (N = 53; M(age) = 19.47, SD =
3.47). 39 (74%) of participants were female and 14 (26%) were
male. Additionally, 41 (77%) of participants were Caucasian and 6
(11%) were African American.
Materials
Cognitive Load. The Stroop Test (Stroop, 1935) measures an
individual’s tolerance for cognitive interference, cognitive flexibility,
and processing speed. Participants are asked to identify the ink color,
although the ink spells a different color (e.g. the word “blue” printed
in orange ink). Participants’ total time taken to complete the task was
measured.
Narcissism. The Selfism (NS; Phares & Erskine, 1984) scale
measures narcissism via 40 items using a 5-point Likert scale which
are summed to produce a score ranging from 28 – 140.
Self-Esteem. The Self-Esteem Rating Scale (SERS; Nugent &
Thomas, 1993) measures self-esteem via 40 items on a 7-point Likert
scale, which are summed to range from -120 to 120 points.
Procedure. Participants, randomly assigned to condition prior to
arrival, engaged in a face to face interview , in which the Stroop Task
was administered. Upon completion of the task, the experimenter
excused himself from the room at which time he changed his tie.
Upon his return, the participant was asked to complete a brief
memory test (to serve as a filler task). Finally, the participant
completed the measures and was asked if he/she noticed the change.
The Current Study
The current study examined the effects of
salience on an individual’s perception of change.
Level of salience was manipulated via two
conditions, a low salience condition in which a
subtle change occurred in the experimenter’s tie,
and a high salience condition in which a drastic
change occurred in the experimenter’s tie. It was
expected that participants in the high salience
condition would notice the change more often
than participants in the low salience condition.
Additionally, we examined individual differences
that may predict differences in perceptions of
change. Specifically, we measured cognitive load,
self-esteem, and narcissism. It was expected that
higher self-esteem, higher cognitive functioning,
and lower narcissism would predict lower
change blindness.
Tying it Together: Salience as a Predictor of Change Blindness
0
5
10
15
20
25
Control Wacky Ties
Noticed Change
Did Not Notice
Change
Figure 2. Change Blindness in High and Low Salience
Conditions
Low Salience:
Subtle Ties
High Salience:
“Wacky” Ties