What does change blindness refer to?

Change blindness refers to the phenomenon where a viewer fails to notice significant changes in a visual scene. This occurs when there is a disruption in the visual input, such as in a brief visual interruption or a change in the environment, which prevents the observer from detecting what has been altered. Change blindness underscores how our perception is not a flawless recording of the world around us; rather, it highlights the limitations of our visual awareness and attention.

In contexts where change blindness is studied, it is often revealed that even drastic alterations in a scene can go unnoticed if the focus is elsewhere or if the viewer's attention is directed to other aspects of the environment. This concept has broad implications in areas such as eyewitness testimony, design, and any field where visual perception plays a crucial role. Understanding change blindness helps to elucidate the intricacies of cognitive processing and perception.