Question

What is meant by "top down" processing? Can you apply this concept to your own studies: are there classes/subjects in which you learn and study the material from the "bottom up" and others where it could be defined as "top down"? Color blindness: is it an issue with sensation or with perception? (or both?) Explain your answer. On the topic of sensory adaptation: how would our experience of the world be different if we did not experience sensory adaptation? How could we view this process as one that is helpful for survival?

Answer 1

Top down processing is when form our perceptions starting from larger object to smalled objects. This processing occurs without conscious awarness. Eg, if we see an electric board of a hotel name, but an alphabet is not blinking but still we are able to read that word. There many factors affecting top down procesing such as motivation, context etc. Bottom up prcessing is exactly opposite of top down processig where tend to see small bits of picture and then we complete the picture, let us say if we just eyes of tiger on front cover of a magazine, we immeditaely think of a tiger. I have never come across confusion of top down and bottom up in my class.

Colour blindness - Colour blindn people can see colours but their colour perception is limited, it is mostly inaccurate vision of red and green colours. Henc this is not sensation, it is perception.

If we did not have sensory adaption world would have been a lot different, when it comes to normal habbits of person there would have been a lot chaos. Eg, if non vegetarian person, or any allergic person to any particular scent is constantly getting exposed, he/she would have felt irritated all the time. It would have beed an added advanatage in bad habbits such as smoking, alcohol. Eg, there is always a smoking area outside offices, intially people do not go, but later people get used to it. If there wasn't any sensory adaptation people would have resented smokers, boozers etc. This could be helpful process for the enviornment as well for the health of passive smokers.