Topdown Processing Examples Perception is everything cake anyone

Top-down Processing Examples

Perception is everything… cake anyone? ? ?

Kitty Litter Cake!!! – Serving Size: 24 • Note: This is a fun cake! It might look gross, but it does taste good! Ingredients: – – – – 1 (18 oz) box Spice or German Chocolate Cake Mix 1 (18 oz) box White Cake Mix 1 Package White Sandwich Cookies 1 Large Box Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix 12 Small Tootsie Rolls 1 Large Bowl or container similar to a Kitty Litter Box 1 Plastic Scoop Green Food Colouring

Language • Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Vision… what do you see?

Vision Experiment • As a class you are divided into two groups. • Group One keep your eyes open • Group Two close your eyes.

Group One • Quack, quack

• Group Two open your eyes. • Group One close your eyes.

Group Two • Carrot Eater

What do you see?

Blind Spot • Look around. Do you see a blind spot anywhere? Maybe the blind spot in one eye is in a different place than in the other eye… so you don’t notice it because one eye makes up for the other. • Close one eye and look around again. Now do you see a blind spot? Maybe it’s just a tiny blind spot… so small that your brain can’t “see” it.

Actually, it’s a pretty BIG blind spot • Close your left eye and stare at the cross mark in the diagram with your right eye. Off to the right you should be able to see the spot. Don't LOOK at it; just notice that it is there off to the right (if its not, move farther away from the computer screen; you should be able to see the dot if you're a couple of feet away). Now slowly move toward the computer screen. Keep looking at the cross mark while you move. At a particular distance (probably a foot or so), the spot will disappear (it will reappear again if you move even closer). • So, as you can see, you have a pretty big blind spot, at least as big as the spot in the diagram. What's particularly interesting though is that you don't SEE it. When the spot disappears you still don't SEE a hole. What you see is something the brain is making up, since the eye isn't actually telling the brain anything at all about that particular part of the picture.

Now define… • After seeing various examples of top-down processing, formulate a definition of topdown processing. Use an example in your definition.

Definition… can a non-Spanish speaker please read. • Procesarriento de arriba a abajo procesamertio de informacion dirigida por procesos mentales superiores, como cuando determinamos nuestras percepciones a partir de nuestra experiencia y nuestras expectativas.

… in English. Top-down processing is… • Information processing guided by higherlevel mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our past experience and expectations.

Bottom Up processing is… • The most basic sensation and perception. “Entry Level” sensory analysis.

Comparing the two… look at the picture titled “The Forest has Eyes”.

• Bottom Up: we were able to see the lines, colors, and shapes that formed the horses, rider, and surroundings. • Top Down: we direct our attention to the pieces of the painting that give the title it’s meaning and look for the unexpected… “The Forest Has Eyes”.