TOEFL TPO -1 Speaking Task 3 Sample: Explain how the example from the professor's lecture illustrates the concept of inattentional blindness.

Historical user samples and AI evaluation results from an older TOEFL format.

3 archived user samples

Older TOEFL Format

This task is from a previous version of the TOEFL exam. The current TOEFL has a different structure. These archived samples remain available as a reference for practice.

Task Overview

Reading Passage

Inattentional Blindness People are unable to focus their attention on everything in their surrounding environment at the same time. So when people narrowly focus on a single particular task, they may not be able to pay attention to anything else, and may fail to notice other things within their field of vision. This phenomenon is known as inattentional blindness . lnattenfional blindness may allow people to focus more closely on tasks and ignore any distractions. However, it may also mean that people will fail to notice objects or events that are striking or unusual and that would normally be very noticeable.

Question

Explain how the example from the professor's lecture illustrates the concept of inattentional blindness.

User Samples & Evaluation Results

Evaluation Result

1.子项得分 Delivery: 3 Language Use: 3 Topic Development: 3

2.预估分数

23. 3.表达

从表达方面来看，回答中的语音清晰，语速适中，但偶尔有些停顿。建议在练习时注意提高发音的准确性，避免不必要的停顿。同时，可以多加练习，提高口语的流利度。

4.话题发展从话题发展方面来看，回答内容基本上是连贯和有组织的，但在某些地方可以进一步完善。例如，在描述实验过程时，可以更详细地解释志愿者们为什么没有注意到穿猩猩服装的人。此外，在总结时可以强调一下这个例子如何充分说明了无意识失明现象。多做一些类似的练习，有助于提高话题发展的能力。

5.语言使用

Original Answer: ~~The intentional blindness~~ Inattentional blindness(无意识失明应为inattentional blindness) refers to a phenomenon that if people narrowly focus on a particular task, and then they would not be able to pay attention to anything else, as a result, they may fail to notice other unusual things within the fields of their visions. In the lecture, the professor introduces an experiment. In the experiment, volunteers were asked to watch the videos in which people were throwing and passing balls to each other, and then the volunteers were asked to count the times the balls were passed back and forth. However, a person dressed like an animal walked through the middle of the screen, but it turned out that most of the volunteers haven't seen the character. It's really surprising, and it's a good example to illustrate the concept.

Revised Answer (140 words):

Inattentional blindness refers to a phenomenon where people narrowly focus on a specific task, making them unable to pay attention to anything else and potentially failing to notice other unusual occurrences within their field of vision. The professor in the lecture introduced an experiment that effectively illustrates this concept. In this experiment, volunteers were asked to watch a video featuring people passing a ball back and forth while counting the number of passes. During the video, an individual dressed as an animal walked through the scene; however, most volunteers failed to notice this character due to their focus on counting passes. This surprising outcome serves as an excellent example of inattentional blindness in action, demonstrating how concentrating on one task can lead to missing other significant events within our surroundings.

6.思维导图

Inattentional Blindness
├─ Phenomenon
│   ├─ Narrow focus
│   └─ Unable to notice other occurrences
├─ Experiment
│   ├─ Volunteers
│   ├─ Counting ball passes
│   └─ Animal costume character unnoticed
└─ Illustration of Concept
    └─ Surprising outcome

7.关键词

Word	Phonetic Symbols	Parts of Speech	English definitions	Simplified Chinese translations	Sample sentences
Inattentional	/ˌɪnəˈtɛnʃənəl/	adj	Not giving attention to something	无意识的	Inattentional blindness can cause people to miss important details in their environment.
Phenomenon	/fəˈnɒmɪnən/	n	A fact or situation that is observed to exist	现象	The phenomenon of inattentional blindness has been studied extensively in psychology.
Concentrate	/ˈkɒnsəntreɪt/	v	To focus all one's attention on a particular	集中注意力	People tend to concentrate on specific tasks, which may lead to inattentional blindness.
Occurrence	/əˈkʌrəns/	n	An event that happens	发生的事情	The occurrence of the animal costume character in the experiment went unnoticed by most volunteers.
Surprising	/sərˈpraɪzɪŋ/	adj	Causing surprise or wonder	令人惊讶的	The surprising outcome of the experiment demonstrated the power of inattentional blindness in action.