Hi all,
I have noticed a few threads about going out and wondering if you might be noticed by those around you and/or close friends or work colleagues (clocked). Now this thread in no way is advocating that you should go out if you are not ready to do so. However, if you are planning to do so and are reticent with people noticing the "guy in the dress" I just wanted to share a bit about human cognitive processing with you.
Selective attention or attention control is something we all do. It rests in the pre-frontal cortex of the human brain and is part of executive function (that which allows you to function as a person in day to day life). Lobotomies of the past used to sever executive function (pre-frontal cortex) from the brain to make a person more docile. But I digress so back on track . . . If you think about driving to work or someplace you go each day, can you recall every detail of what happened on that drive with clarity? Most likely not as you are processing selective attention (eyes on the road) not paying attention to the world around you. The only time you might remember detail is if something unique happens . . . say you get cut-off by someone. At that point executive control kicks in and voila . . . you begin to process at the detail level.
Now you are probably saying . . . what the heck does this have to do with CDing? Well, if we apply this to a busy mall scenario and you are out and about doing your thing, you are most likely concentrating on the salient (what is important to you - such as getting to a store, going over in your mind what you need, etc.). Your selective attention is directed at that level and not the broader world. However, if something catches your eye, you may shift your attention and process (say an argument between two people, or something out of the ordinary).
So . . . if you are "en femme" in a crowded mall with lots of people (both male and female) going about their business, the chances of being noticed drop as most people are working on selective attention - we humans have a finite capability to divide out attention control and most choose not to divide the attention from the salient as it is too difficult. Think about it . . . are you processing every little detail when you walk through a busy mall?
Now you are probably saying "Well Isha, a guy in a dress will most likely shift someone's attention". Well . . . you are both right and wrong. Yes some people may shift attention long enough to notice the guy in the dress (hence the reason why we get clocked now and then) but most will go on oblivious as "selective attention" is a strong focus.
There is an interesting experiment on "selective attention" using basketballs at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo if you have not done this experiment give a go but follow the instructions exactly . . . the results are interesting.
For those who know this experiment you get what I mean . . . Does a CDer really get noticed?
Hugs
Isha