Attentional Bias

For what it's worth, you can't find what you're looking for, unless you know what you were looking for. The legendary Sherlock Holmes said so himself (not sure the source, so it's either I did read it, or my memory is playing construction games again).

Hence when you set out with pre-conceived notions, it might very well be the case that you disregard any other pertinent observations that do not fall in line with your theory. Attentional bias is a very astounding mechanism. It preserves identity and prevents overload of the cognitive system. At the same time, naturally, it allows for an efficient but potentially inaccurate summary of the events that occur in your external environment. The concern involves the implicit trust that we place in these automatic processes.

I wonder why we don't ever question the assumptions by which we operate, when the mind must be about the safest context we can hope to take on such risks. It appears almost as if the brain were only meant for involuntary regulatory functions. Perhaps most people do not know how to identify their underlying assumptions to start with. But I would have you know, it's much like considering the possibilities of any option to infinity. Even the absurd ones (yes, for a good laugh! =p).

But ok, I'd have to admit it's easier said than done. My inadequacy is displayed in full flourish whenever I go shopping. After perhaps 10 whole years of practice (and this estimate is conservative), I still fail to grasp the intricacies involved. So much has got to be considered before the assurance of a satisfying purchase can be made possible. Sometimes I suspect one could only be a fortune-teller in order to actually be able to anticipate the various inconveniences that might crop up in the course of an excursion in your new outfit.

My list of questions for self-interrogation normally goes like this:
1) Is it pretty? Is it different?
2) Does it fit? Does it flatter me?
3) Colour too normal? Too loud?
4) Will everyone else on the street be wearing the same?
5) What occasion could I wear it to?
6) Do I have clothing to match?
7) What about shoes?
8) Material suitable for machine-wash?
9) Will it stretch and go out of shape when it's hung out to dry?
10) Anything else I should consider...?

And it's always the last question that utterly trips me. Most pieces of clothing I bring home wouldn't measure up as well as they did in the fitting room. And of course I should have known that the pants might be hanging too low on my hips to NOT be revealing whenever I sit, or that it might CREASE up in unsightly ways when I start taking strides like I usually do; or that slit in the mini-skirt will totally stretch open because people MOVE, or it might be perpetually too tight for my tummy not to show, or too long for casual outings; and so my rantings go on and on...

And yes, they were all there right from the beginning. It's just hilarious how I don't see it until it's too late.