What concept is illustrated by a person's failure to notice changes in their environment due to distraction?

The concept illustrated by a person's failure to notice changes in their environment due to distraction is known as change blindness. This phenomenon occurs when a person does not notice significant changes in a visual scene because their focus is diverted or limited. It highlights the limitations of perceptual awareness in the face of distraction. When individuals are occupied with one task or area of their environment, they may fail to register alterations occurring elsewhere, demonstrating how attention can shape our perception of reality.

For instance, in studies involving change blindness, participants might be shown two slightly different images and invited to spot the differences. Due to their attention being focused on a specific element or detail, they often miss the larger shifts happening in the background. This illustrates how our cognitive resources are finite, and distraction can severely impact our ability to perceive changes in our surroundings.