

Perception and behavior, in the case of top-down processing, reflect your expectations. Top-down processing, in opposition, is the process of which behavior is influenced conceptually- thus creating our expectations and experiences. For instance, bottom-up processing is a data-driven approach that states perception directs cognition- meaning one would “start at the bottom” with observable patterns, and develop higher order cognitive processes soon after. 2.Top-down and bottom-up processing relate to sensation and perception by associating cognition to awareness. It prevents interference from sight, and makes only the taste receptors available- using bottom-up processing, the player will taste the item and decide from their memory what food is being eaten. As for bottom-up processing, a blind taste test game is a great example. Sitting in a classroom and learning is a good example of top-down processing as you have to listen, write notes, and understand information you are receiving to actually learn. Bottom-up processing is processing sensory information as soon as it is received. You do not need to focus on the details of perimeters and such, but be able to explain (using the examples provided) how our perceptual experience is influenced by comparisons that we make.įinally, check out a demonstration of how top-down processing drives your ability to read.1.Top-down processing is the matter of perception being determined by cognition. Visit: Perceptual Comparisons () so that you can describe the general nature of perceptual contrast. So again, with these top-down processing example, your brain adds meaning what you perceive based on what it knows or expects. Some of you may have noticed that from the beginning, but for most, being told there is another image there will alert your brain to search for the pattern. So here is the twist… instead of a face, now look at the image and see a saxophone player wearing a big hat. So the floating blob becomes an eye, and from there we construct a nose and a mouth, and the fact that the picture is labeled as “face” tells your brain that is what it is supposed to see. However, our brain is wired to detect faces, which, from a biosociological perspective, is among the most important stimuli in the world. From a bottom-up perspective, you should see a bunch of meaningless blobs. To the right is one final example of top-down processing. Watch: Phonemic Restoration Demo / Examples ( ) A “phoneme” is just a basic unit of speech sound.
TOP DOWN PROCESSING EXAMPLE FULL
Note that at the end, once you have heard the full sentence, you can understand it even when it is broken up again. Next, watch this video for an example of top-down processing with auditory stimuli. Now you are processing the shape in a top-down fashion. In that context, you perceive the lines to form the shape of the letter “B.” Surrounded by numbers, the same shape now looks like the number “13.” When given a context, your perception is driven by your cognitive expectations. Surrounded by sequential letters, your brain expects the shape to be a letter and to complete the sequence. Now, look at the same shape in two different contexts. There is no context to give it a specific meaning, so there is no top-down processing involved. There are two thick vertical lines and three thin horizontal lines. Seen alone, your brain engages in bottom-up processing. Look at the shape in the box to the right. Your brain applies what it knows and what it expects to perceive and fills in the blanks, so to speak. Top-down processing, on the other hand, refers to perception that is driven by cognition. Bottom-up refers to the way it is built up from the smallest pieces of sensory information. What you see is based only on the sensory information coming in. In other words, if I flash a random picture on the screen, your eyes detect the features, your brain pieces it together, and you perceive a picture of an eagle. Bottom-up processing refers to processing sensory information as it is coming in. There are two general processes involved in sensation and perception.
