Approximate reading time: 5 minutes

Amari is expecting an important call but has lost their phone in a crowded nightclub. Let’s see how each of the models can explain how Amari manages to find their phone in time to receive the call.

• Environment-Originated: A bright red flash from a VIP section caught Amari’s eye. Their phone’s intense red coloured case stood out from the dimly lit club.
• Self-in-Search: Expecting their phone to be on a high-top table, Amari bypassed the dance floor and headed straight to the bar. Sure enough, their phone was there.
• Reciprocal Perception: Feeling overwhelmed by the crowded room and loud music, Amari took a breather outside the club. The cool and quiet night outside soothed and refreshed their senses. On returning, Amari immediately felt the subtle vibrations of their phone on a nearby table — something they hadn’t noticed earlier. Their heightened awareness subtly reshaped their interaction with the club’s sounds and lights. They picked up the phone just in time for the incoming call. Whew!
• Differentiation Theory: Amid the pulsating music in the club, Amari picked up on the unique, rhythmic buzz of their phone’s vibration against a metal table. They recognized the sound — it stood out from the thumping bass.
• Direct Perception: As soon as Amari re-entered the club, they spotted a flash of red in a booth. Their phone! Their familiarity with it allowed quick identification, even amid the flashing strobe lights.
• Ecological Approach: Paying attention to the club’s environment, Amari noticed the way the coloured lights illuminated certain areas more than others. It was in one such well-lit area, where a spotlight hit a table, that they spotted a distinct red hue peeking out from under a backpack — their phone!
• Perceptual Learning: Years of spotting their phone trained Amari’s eyes. A glimpse of red behind a backpack triggered recognition. There it was!
• Affordances: Understanding that the environment offered potential clues, Amari looked for surfaces that could ‘afford’ to hold a phone. They headed towards the lounge area where low, broad tables were perfect for partygoers to leave their belongings. Sure enough, their red phone was lying on one such table, its location made possible by the table’s affordance for resting objects.
• Emotional Stimuli: Filled with worry about their missing phone and potentially missing an important call, every detail in the club seemed amplified to Amari. This heightened emotional state made them incredibly observant, allowing them to spot a corner of their red phone peeping out from under a backpack amidst the chaos of the club.
• Predictive Coding: Amari guessed their phone might be in the private booth they often visited. They were right!
• Sensory Adaptation: Initially, the loud music overwhelmed Amari, but it soon faded into the background. In the relative silence, they heard their phone’s ring near the DJ booth.
• Attention: Amid the sensory overload, Amari concentrated on finding their red phone. This selective attention paid off when they spotted it behind a cocktail glass.
• Divided Attention: As the club’s music throbbed, Amari split their attention between searching for their phone and engaging in a deep conversation with a friend. Amari’s mind was juggling the visual search amongst the dancing crowd while also tracking the thread of the conversation. Amari’s multitasking slowed down the search but eventually, a glimmer of red near the DJ booth caught their eye — their phone!
• Perceptual Inattention: At the club’s masquerade party, Amari was so focused on finding their phone that they missed a performer in a gorilla costume walking by.
• Change Inattention: Amari didn’t notice that while they were looking for their phone the DJ changed the music playlist. When Amari found their phone, they looked up, surprised, asking, “When did the techno start?”.
• Beliefs, Values, Prejudices, Expectations, and Life Experiences Affect Perceptions: Amari’s belief that their phone might have been stolen initially made them eye a boisterous group with suspicion. Upon realising that their bias was skewing their perception, Amari refocused and soon found their phone under a bar stool.

Image Attributions

Figure SUP SP.4. Amari and their cellphone by Rachel Lu is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA license.