Nonexistant Memories

Neuroscientist Chris Chabris discusses the brain’s failure to notice even the unexpected, despite various breadcrumbs and clues suggested to the mind in his inattentional blindness speech.

Operating under the illusion that memories are flawless and infallible, many would be disappointed to discover that the brain often succumbs to multiple illusory tactics such as the illusion of attention, memory, cause and many more. The creator of the famous Invisible Gorilla experiment delivers a detailed thought-provoking speech as to how well—or poor—people’s memories actually are.

The experiment demonstrates that the brain often fails to acknowledge surrounding events, possibly from excessive strain and focus or tunnel vision, and does not store the key data. Chabris wraps up with an experiment that emphasizes the neglectful mind and lack of attention to detail brains have when he reveals drawings made by individuals that could not illustrate a basic sketch working bicycle despite it being something the artists saw every day.