Check this out. Click here
and then pass it on to all your friends.

I was left speechless after seeing that. Good stuff

So far 4 out of 5 in my house have failed...but are much more aware now.

I don't want to be the one to show you every BikeForum thread that has mentioned that site in the past five days...

That may be so, but this is the first time I've seen it. What a startling video! I just sent the link to my entire family.

If the bear wears a reflective vest, it would be a lot easier to spot. When they ask to concentrate on the white team, my brain automatically filters out anything black. That makes spotting the bear even more difficult. We need to have some volunteers to do the same idea but with a (i.e.) pink bear suit, that would make the awareness test more realistic.

Which demonstrates that, even regarding previous topics on BF, the same principle applies..

No kidding, right? I knew what it was going in, and as soon as I saw the basketballs being passed around, I ignored those and started to look for a guy in a gorilla suit (which is how it was done in the original university study).

I tried watching this one again, with the idea of counting passes and watching the bear (which, frankly, only does a dreadful moonwalk). The first SEVERAL attempts, I wouldn't even notice the bear until he got almost halfway into the screen.

You haven't seen the version of this test with the girl carrying an umbrella, then.

Added:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkn3wRyb9Bk

I'll certainly be watching carefully for men in bear costumes whenever I go to a basketball game now!

i've done a lot of "look at the ___ in the ___" tests and now i'm ruined for attention tests forever. plus i mean, i'm never totally sure that there isn't going to be a screaming banshee popping up on the screen once i'm engrossed in a movie. i used to be a kind and trusting person, but the internet has left me withered and cynical.

To me, your experience means that people can be trained to have broader awareness.

If someone's driving, and they're totally fixated on the car in front of them (just like watching "only the players with white shirts"), they're going to miss other features & hazards more often than someone who's learned that they only need to notice the car in front while keeping a lookout for other, as-yet-unseen hazards.

Heehee I hate those screaming ones Sorry but I was counting the passes and my bear filter was switched on but to me after I watched it again he looked like a giant mouse so I missed him.

I read on another forum that roadie cyclists-the lycra brigade often don't wave as they pass you by on the opposite side of the road as they are so "focused" and "in the zone' so don't actually notice you. I would be a dead cyclist if I was that focused that I did'nt see what was happening on the other side of the road. I think its just snobery.

There are different versions of this going around. Haven't seen any parody versions, yet.

...or the 1000 times the same test has been performed by who-knows-how-many perception classes, and how many times videos like this have been posted online for at least the last 5 years (when I first saw this; usually it's a guy in a gorilla suit).

Eh, I don't know about the snob part. Sometimes, yeah, but sometimes they're also just working hard, and don't look at cycling as much of a novelty anymore. Their enthusiasm for waving "hi" at every other rider just ain't what it used to be.

Besides, trying to stay low on the bars and hammering out a good cadence doesn't make it easy to let go for a wave. I try to either give a nod or a small town highway wave (lift the index finger) even if I'm not sure whether it'll be noticed (especially since my gloves are black).

Which, indeed, was the entire point of the video. Not "this will fool you forever and you'll never be able to train your mind to watch for cylists".

Snob.

Just kidding.

Right.

If you check out automobile racing, you'll find that they have a licensing system, too. Part of everyone's early training is in learning how to watch for hazards and signals off to the side. It's extremely important to see, for example, a corner safety worker waving a yellow or red flag to indicate an accident that's just out of sight. These guys have to pay attention up to several hundred yards in advance while managing their own cars, or else someone's gonna get killed.

er, i wasn't saying that it's supposed to fool me forever. i was just bummed that i didn't get to see whether or not i'd have noticed the bear without having been primed. i read about these tests before i ever saw one, so it was ruined for me way ahead of time. i guess that means i'm super awesome at noticing everything.

I don't think they don't notice you at all, they just don't notice that you're waving...

Pretty funny video. I don't know how much that applies to people on this forum. A typical bikeforums commuter would translate into a bear wearing a reflective vest with blinding disco lights on. I'll have to post this on my subaru board though.

Well, okay, watch it again, and this time, count how many passes BOTH teams make -- not just the white shirts, nor just the black shirts.

I've tried that, and only noticed the bear as he started backstepping* out of the frame.

(* it's not a moonwalk... )

Oh, and after that, I lost count...