What phenomenon occurs when we selectively focus on one area and do not see anything else?

Inattentional blindness is the phenomenon where individuals fail to notice a fully visible but unexpected object when their attention is directed elsewhere. This often occurs in situations where a person is focusing intently on a specific task or area. For example, if someone is engaged in a task that requires intense concentration, they might overlook distractions or events happening in their periphery. This cognitive limitation highlights how our attention can be so narrow that it blinds us to other significant stimuli in our environment.

Selective attention, while closely related, typically refers to the process of focusing on a specific stimulus while ignoring others, but it does not necessarily involve the unawareness of stimuli outside of that focus as seen with inattentional blindness. Color blindness and visual impairment do not apply to the situation described since they refer to difficulties in perceiving color and overall sight issues, respectively.