In Fridays lecture I found the selective attention test (that I blogged about on Saturday) very surprising, mainly due to the fact that I never saw the gorilla.
All weekend I kept quiet about it and tested a few of my friends and family. I was a little disappointed when they all spotted the gorilla. Why did I miss it and they didn't? I began to think that maybe the context it is shown in changes what you see.
I watched the video on a big screen in a lecture hall trying to focus and not let those around distract me from counting the passes. When I showed the video to people I knew, it was played on a laptop with only the viewer and I in a quiet room. Maybe if the viewer is relaxed and feels comfortable it is easier to take everything in, enabling them to see the gorilla.
I think this theory makes sense as when you are relaxed it is easier to have an open mind but when you are stressed or on edge you shut things out. It won't really matter if you're a positive person who tries to keep an open mind, certain situations may cause you to change and become overly focused and miss the bigger picture.
I do still agree with the fact that you should try to keep an open mind and if you feel unlucky you will most likely be unlucky. However I think that sometimes even if you try your best to see everything other factors may get in your way.
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