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Did You See The Unicycling Clown Summary

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In the article, Did You See the Unicycling Clown? Inattentional Blindness while Walking and Talking on a Cell Phone, by Ira Hyman and associates from Western Washington University, Hyman studied the concept of divided attention during walking. He conducted two studies, the first analyzed what students behavior was like if they were walking with their cellphone, MP3 player, or just walking with a friend. As they observed students on their way to class, a clown on a unicycle rode all around the quad. Hyman found that cell phone users walked more slowly, changed directions, and less likely to pay attention to their surroundings and others (Hyman, 2009, p. 600). Hyamn then states, “In the second study, we found that cell phone users were less likely to notice an unusual activity along their walking route (a unicycling clown). Cell phone usage may cause inattentional blindness even during a simple activity that should require few cognitive resources.” (Hyman, 2009, p. 597). Hyman and his colleagues shared that the …show more content…

Cell phones and other technology really make one absent from the real world. Students who spend a majority of their day on social media or other technology do not notice unusual things when walking to class, for example a clown on a unicycle. If these students cannot notice something so unusual right in front of them, how are they suppose to cope with the stress and loneliness, which is such a demanding task? Absence from real world life can be attributed to being lost in the digital world. Hyman identifies a key component that technology renders to the absence in the community. The students that walked without a cellphone or with a buddy were more attentive to their surroundings. Strong community ties are proven to decrease loneliness and to be a favorable coping mechanism for stress. Being present and aware will reduce loneliness and stress in young

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