My favorite scientific study of the year has managed to win the Ig Nobel prize in Psychology. According to the Ig Nobel website, "The winners have all done things that first make people LAUGH, then make them THINK."
First, go to this page and view the video. When you watch, count the number of times that the team wearing white pass the basketball. DO NOT count the number of times that the team wearing black passes the basketball. After you've watched the video and gotten your count, click the link at the bottom of this post to read further.
After watching the video (You DID watch the video before coming to this spoiler, didn't you? If not, DO NOT read further. Go watch the video.) there is but one question to answer.
Did you see the gorilla?
Approximately one half of those who watched the video in the study didn't see the gorilla. Apparently, when someone is paying very close attention to something in an active way, they can be completely blind to anything else, no matter how odd or exciting it may be.
Thanks to Marginal Revolution, I believe, who originally pointed this study out to me.
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