I?m looking for a word that defines the psychological experience of
suddenly recognizing, for the first time, something in the environment
that has, in fact, always been there.

A couple years ago someone wrote into Parade Magazine and asked
Marilyn Vos Savant a question, something like this:  I recently
purchased a new Toyota car.  I know there?s a million Toyotas on the
highway, but I purchased a blue one because it?s an unusual color. 
Now that I have my car, I see hundreds of blue Toyotas.  Where did
they come from?  Have they been there all along?  I never noticed them
before.

Marilyn explained the phenomena of paying attention to things in our
environment only when they are relevant to us at the time.  She had a
word for it.  Can you find it?

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Request for Question Clarification by bobbie7-ga on 04 Feb 2006 11:41 PST

Hello bella_aria,

Selective Perception

"Selective perception from a psychological standpoint is how we view
our world to create or justify our own reality (Sherif & Cantril,
1945). It means, for example, that what we wish to see in this world
we will see in this world. Information we receive will be processed in
a manner that harmonizes with and supports our current beliefs."
http://www.ciadvertising.org/student_account/fall_01/adv382j/howardmo/whatissp.html

Selective Attention
http://www.iep.utm.edu/f/fallacies.htm#Selective%20Attention

Inattentional Blindness - An overview
http://psyche.cs.monash.edu.au/v5/psyche-5-03-mack.html


Please let me know via the "CLARIFICATION" if any of these terms ring a bell.

Thank you, 
Bobbie7

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Clarification of Question by bella_aria-ga on 04 Feb 2006 13:27 PST

Hi Bobbie7,
I believe you've provided me with the answer I am looking for.  I'm
curious if you knew about these terms already or if you researched
somehow to find them.  In any case, there's plenty in the links you
sent me to satisfy my interest in the phenomena.  Excellent & prompt.
Thank you very much,
Bella

Dear Bella,

Thank you for your positive response to my clarification request
indicating that my answer would be satisfactory.

I am reposting the material below for your convenience.


Selective Perception

"Selective perception from a psychological standpoint is how we view
our world to create or justify our own reality (Sherif & Cantril,
1945). It means, for example, that what we wish to see in this world
we will see in this world. Information we receive will be processed in
a manner that harmonizes with and supports our current beliefs."
http://www.ciadvertising.org/student_account/fall_01/adv382j/howardmo/whatissp.html


Selective Attention
http://www.iep.utm.edu/f/fallacies.htm#Selective%20Attention


Inattentional Blindness - An overview
http://psyche.cs.monash.edu.au/v5/psyche-5-03-mack.html



>I'm curious if you knew about these terms already or if you
researched somehow to find them.<

No, I didn?t know about these terms before answering your question. My
daughter is a psychologist and she pointed me in the right direction.


Search terms:
Selective Perception
Selective Attention
Inattentional Blindness


Sincerely, 
Bobbie7

Thank you Bobbie7 and to your daughter also.

You might be interested in reading some of the comments that were made
to a similar (unanswered) question a while back:

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=402268

Dear Bella,

Thank you very much for the five stars and nice tip!

Sincerely, 
Bobbie7