Help with a science project on distraction and attention

[Pigerpoo]

Hi I'm a 10 year old girl in the UK doing a project on selective attention. I really want to include a simple card trick where people are concentrating so much on one thing they totally miss something else happening right in front of their eyes.

This would be my first time performing magic in front of a crowd and would make the project special.

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

Do you know any magic currently?

 

[Lord_Magic]

This would be my first time performing magic in front of a crowd and would make the project special.

I repeat what Christopher asked...What magic do you know currently?

Because almost all magic effects somehow include the concept of selective attention. You might have to expose the method for the project though (unless the effect itself displays the concept of 'selective attention').

 

[RealityOne]

Start reading at the second to last paragraph on page 2:

http://richardwiseman.com/resources/MAGIC article.pdf​

Let me know if you have any questions how to perform the effect.

You may also like these videos:

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

I did a talk for a graduate class of neuro scientists, on the subject of perception. My talk was about how perception can be manipulated by clever blocking and framing and/or scripting. One of the routines I did was Paper Balls Over The Shoulder.

 

[obrienmagic]

Card to mouth is a good trick to try. It takes practice to get the timing down but it is a great example of misdirection.

 

[Lord_Magic]

Coin to shoulder is pretty cool too.

 

[Maaz Hasan]

It's not a card trick, but if you can learn Paper Balls Over the Head, it's probably a good way to go. It's an easy trick where the entire audience is in on it apart from the one person you call up to the audience. However, it's pretty hard to pull off well, because you really need to be able to direct someones focus to/away from something. It's all in the presentation. Edit: Here's a presentation of it.

Other than that, making a signed card appear somewhere else, or any other effect where one thing disappears and reappears somewhere else is good (known as Transposition effects). Spongeballs may be a good choice.

Good luck!

 

[Pigerpoo]

Thank you all for your comments.

I have done some magic before in front of friends and family but never in front of a large group of people. I know some simple card tricks but my favourite is a longer more complex card trick which includes sliding a card back in the deck as to use the card next instead. In this way I confuse the audience into thinking that I have used the previous card . I then get my volunteer to hold the deck of cards in between their knuckles. As I have made it so that their card is the bottom card. I flick off the other cards which then gives the illusion that the cad left in their hand happens to be their card.

I found the awareness test very much so demonstrating misdirection and selective attention so I think I might use it and explain how it works. I also found the magic article by Peter Lamont and Richard wiseman really interesting . Thank you very much.

I also watched the paper ball trick and found it extremely funny. I understand that it will be hard to pull off but I think I might try it. Also,I think the way the magician uses misdirection is very clear .

Thank you for all your help.

Mary