Ep 10. The Gorilla Experiment

The Big Bang Theory season 3 episode 10 titled "The Gorilla Experiment" revolves around the main characters of the show conducting an experiment to determine whether or not they are capable of focusing on two separate things at the same time.

It all begins when the group is discussing the scientific study which concludes that humans are not capable of multitasking, that they can only focus on one task at a time, and dividing attention between 2 or more tasks may reduce the effectiveness of attention to each task. Sheldon (one of the main characters) believes that the experiment does not apply to him and his fellow intellectuals, and he decides to put this theory to test.

Sheldon, along with Leonard and Raj, decide to conduct an experiment where they will watch a basketball video while trying to count how many times the players pass the ball to each other. Howard, on the other hand, doesn't believe multitasking is possible at all and opts out of the experiment entirely.

Penny, Sheldon's neighbor, overhears about the experiment and offers to participate. Sheldon agrees but not before questioning her intelligence on the matter. Meanwhile, Amy (a neurobiologist and Sheldon's girlfriend) is worried about her relationship with Sheldon as it seems to lack physical interaction. She tries to provoke him to do something physical, but Sheldon cannot understand what she wants from him.

The experiment begins, and things don't go as planned. Sheldon is unable to count the number of passes made while watching the video, and neither is anyone else. They are too engrossed in the video to count the passes. Penny, however, is able to count accurately despite being distracted by the video. This result surprises Sheldon, and he decides to do a follow-up experiment where he introduces a gorilla into the video to see if anyone is able to spot it while counting the passes. This is in reference to the famous selective attention test by Daniel Simons, where participants were required to count basketball passes while missing a gorilla that walked through the scene.

The experiment continues, and Amy, feeling jealous of Penny's interactions with Sheldon, decides to participate in the experiment as well. It turns out that none of the participants were able to spot the gorilla in the video, which fascinates Sheldon even more.

In the end, the group discusses the results of the experiment and comes to the conclusion that they are, in fact, not capable of multitasking. Sheldon learns to appreciate Penny's abilities and what she brings to the group. Amy, on the other hand, is still not satisfied with her relationship with Sheldon and ends up kissing Penny, which surprises everyone.

Overall, this episode is a fun and light-hearted take on the idea of multitasking and the limitations of the human brain. It also touches on the relationships between the characters and their dynamics with each other.