Change Blindness to Gradual Changes in Facial Expressions

Authors

  • Elodie David Université Libre de Bruxelles
  • Cédric Laloyaux Université Libre de Bruxelles
  • Christel Devue University of Liège
  • Axel Cleeremans Université Libre de Bruxelles

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5334/pb-46-4-253

Abstract

Change blindness – our inability to detect changes in a stimulus – occurs even when the change takes place gradually, without disruption (Simons, Franconeri, & Reimer, 2000). Such gradual changes are more difficult to detect than changes that involve a disruption. In this experiment, we extend previous findings to the domain of facial expressions of emotions occurring in the context of a realistic scene. Even with changes occurring in central, highly relevant stimuli such as faces, gradual changes still produced high levels of change blindness: Detection rates were three times lower for gradual changes than for displays involving disruption, with only 15% of the observers perceiving the gradual change within a single trial. However, despite this high rate of change blindness, changes on faces were significantly better detected than colour changes occurring on non facial objects in the same scene.

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Published

2006-12-01

Issue

Section

Research Article