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The FutureCatalyst Process helps both individuals and companies get beyond what is called "inattentional blindness" so they can see new ideas to solve their problems.
Harvard University's Simons and Chabris have extensively studied the phenomena of inattentional blindness. In their paper, "Gorillas in our midst: sustained inattentional blindness for dynamic events," Daniel J. Simons, Christopher F. Chabris, Department of Psychology, Harvard University, June 20, 1999, they write:
"...we are surprisingly unaware of the details of our environment from one view to the next... without attention, we may not even perceive objects...we perceive and remember only those objects and details that receive focused attention..."
To request a reprint of the full study, click here.
Inattentional blindness occurs when we are so focused on one thing that we are literally blind to seeing something else that is right in front of us. That "something else" may be a great new solution to our problem.
We've all experienced it: we learn about a new car and then we start to see it everywhere. We notice someone on crutches and suddenly we see someone with a broken leg every day. It's as if the new cars or broken legs have appeared "by magic." But of course that's not the case. We're just newly aware of them. They were always there. Our lack of attention on them before made us "blind" to them.
Inattentional blindness—and attentional sight—happen because our brains filter data all the time. If they didn't, we wouldn't be able to function. That helps us, for instance, when we drive a car. If our brains had to think about every step of driving a car, we'd never get out the driveway. But it doesn't help us when we need really new, fresh ideas and solutions to problems.
The FutureCatalyst Process modifies individual's brain filters so they can scan their environment for new solutions and ideas. The Process does this in part by expanding on the well-established brainstorming technique called "forced association."
Forced association works by taking two totally different things and forcing an association between them. Doing this can open up your thinking to new ideas you may have had all along but you were just too close to them to see them clearly.
To find out more about how the FutureCatalyst Process works, click here.
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