title: Barack Obama Blindness (BOB): Absence of Visual Awareness to a Single Object.
abstract: In two experiments, we evaluated whether a perceiver's prior expectations could alone obliterate his or her awareness of a salient visual stimulus. To establish expectancy, observers first made a demanding visual discrimination on each of three baseline trials. Then, on a fourth, critical trial, a single, salient and highly visible object appeared in full view at the center of the visual field and in the absence of any competing visual input. Surprisingly, fully half of the participants were unaware of the solitary object in front of their eyes. Dramatically, observers were blind even when the only stimulus on display was the face of U.S. President Barack Obama. We term this novel, counterintuitive phenomenon, Barack Obama Blindness (BOB). Employing a method that rules out putative memory effects by probing awareness immediately after presentation of the critical stimulus, we demonstrate that the BOB effect is a true failure of conscious vision.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Sciences, Human Services and Criminal Justice, Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Persuh
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, City College, City University of New York New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Melara
keywords: awareness; consciousness; perceptual blindness; top-down processing; visual perception