Mind Reading: A Visual Attention Experiment

I can read your mind! That's right, ladies and gentlemen... Do you agree to take on the challenge? Simply follow these simple steps:

Step 1) Examine the crosses on the diagram shown below. Also, raise your arm while saying "CRICROCK" twice.

Step 2) Take a deep breath. Count mentally to three and point with your index finger to one of the crosses. Hold it steady for 7 seconds.

Step 3) Now you can take another breath, remove your finger from the diagram, and mentally count to three before reading the result further below.

Surprisingly, the majority of people will always select the third cross from the left in the second row. This entertaining experiment can be repeated with your friends. This small experiment demonstrates that, even in the absence of any specific 'prompting,' we naturally prefer certain'spots' in our visual field that are shared by the majority of people.