Here’s a quick test to see how gifted you really are at processing information.
Take a look at the gifted personality test below and try to find the ‘T’ hidden amongst the ‘L’s.
We’ll even give you a hint to make it really easy for you: The ‘T’ won’t be red. If you can find the letter in under 10 seconds, then you’ll know that you’re gifted (and truly special).
How did you do? Are you all set for super special genius camp? RELATED: 8 Unusual Traits Of Highly Intelligent People This test is the creation of a team at Johns Hopkins University in Boston, where researchers in their Science of Learning Institute found that knowing what not to look for can be extremely helpful. Results of this study demonstrated that when people are given time to learn what’s possible to ignore before they begin, they’re able to search faster and more efficiently. “Individuals who explicitly ignore distracting information improve their visual search performance, a critical skill for professional searchers, like radiologists and airport baggage screeners,” said lead author Corbin A. Cunningham. “This work has the potential to help occupations that rely on visual search by informing future training programs.” And if you still haven’t found it, that’s OK. Here’s the answer key:
All images by Johns Hopkins University. RELATED: 5 Signs You’re An Intuitive Genius (And Can Read People Really, Really Well) Over the course of two experiments, participants were asked to search for certain letters on a computer screen. They had to find either a capital ‘B’ or an ‘F’ among other letters of assorted colors. Sometimes the participants were told the ‘B’ or ‘F’ wouldn’t be a certain color, and other times they weren’t given any color hints. When the participants were told one color to consistently ignore, their reaction time slowed down at first. But after some time and practice, they found the target letters more quickly than the participants who weren’t given a color to eliminate. In fact, the study found that the more information the participants were able to ignore, the faster they found the target. This shows that the ability to ignore is a key part of the ability to pay attention, the researchers said. “Attention is usually thought of as something that enhances the processing of important objects in the world,” said co-author Howard Egeth, a professor of psychology and brain sciences at Johns Hopkins. “This study … highlights the importance of active suppression of those competing stimuli. It’s what I think of as the dark side of attention.” RELATED: If You See A Hidden Image In The Zig-Zag Lines, You Have A Genius IQ Christine Schoenwald is a writer with artcles in The Los Angeles Times, Salon, Woman’s Day, Purple Clover, Bustle. She is a regular contributor to Ravishly and YourTango. Check out her website or her Facebook page.
