The Invisible Gorilla: And Other Ways Our Intuition Deceives Us

Christopher Chabris, Daniel Simons

HarperCollins Publishers, Jun 10, 2010 - Psychology - 320 pages

If a gorilla walked out into the middle of a basketball pitch, you’d notice it. Wouldn’t you? If a serious violent crime took place just next to you, you’d remember it, right? The Invisible Gorilla is a fascinating look at the unbelievable, yet routine tricks that your brain plays on you.

In an award-winning and groundbreaking study, psychologists Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons asked volunteers to watch a 60-second film of a group of students playing basketball and told them to count the number of passes made. About halfway through, a woman dressed head to toe in a gorilla outfit slowly moved to centre screen, beat her chest at the camera, and casually strolled away. Unbelievably, almost half of the volunteers missed the gorilla.

As this astonishing and utterly unique book demonstrates, exactly the same kind of mental illusion that causes people to miss the gorilla can also explain why many other things, including why:

• honest eyewitness testimony can convict innocent defendants
• expert money managers suddenly lose billions
• Homer Simpson has much to teach you about clear thinking

Insightful, witty, and fascinating, The Invisible Gorilla closely examines the false impressions that most profoundly influence our lives and gives practical advice on how we can minimize their negative impact.

About the author

Christopher F. Chabris and Daniel J. Simons won the 2004 Ig Nobel Prize in Psychology for Gorillas in Our Midst. Chabris is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Union College in New York. He was formerly a Lecturer and Research Associate in the Psychology Department at Harvard. Simons is a Professor Department of Psychology and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois. Both authors have had research published in top scientific journals with extensive media coverage worldwide.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Invisible Gorilla: And Other Ways Our Intuition Deceives Us
• Authors: Christopher Chabris, Daniel Simons
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, 2010
• ISBN: 0007352182, 9780007352180
• Length: 320 pages
• Subjects: Psychology / Applied Psychology; Psychology / Cognitive Psychology & Cognition; Psychology / Neuropsychology; Psychology / Social Psychology; Self-Help / Personal Growth / General