Top-Down vs Bottom-Up Processing

Alison opened her new jigsaw but soon realized that the puzzle pieces inside had nothing to do with the picture on the box.  She completed the puzzle by grouping pieces by colour.  Which of the following did Allison use?

• bottom-up processing
• top-down processing

The first time Joe had to put together a bicycle, it took a long time.  Now that he has built several bicycles, he can put together a bicycle quickly and easily because he knows what the final product should look like.  Joe's improved speed and skill can be attributed to ____.

• bottom-up processing
• top-down processing

Organizing information into meaningful experiences is called

• sensation
• perception
• Humanistic approach
• Psychodynamic approach

Sensation is to __________ as perception is to __________.

• Recognizing a stimulus; detecting a stimulus
• Detecting a stimulus; recognizing a stimulus
• Interpreting a stimulus; detecting a stimulus
• Seeing; hearing

________ occurs when sensory information is organized, interpreted, and consciously experienced.

• Transduction
• Sensation
• Perception
• Sensory adaptation

________________ processing refers to how the physical characteristics of stimuli influence their interpretation.  In other words, taking in a stimulus without any previous knowledge.

• Top-down
• Bottom-up
• Parapsychological
• Human factors

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events.  Is this a candlestick or two people's faces depends on our

• perception
• sensation
• bottom-up processing
• sensory adaptation

When you are trying out a new food and trying to determine the taste & flavor, you are using this process

• bottom-up
• top-down
• difference threshold
• selective attention

The effect of prior experience and current expectations on perception best illustrates the importance of

• accomodation
• transduction
• top-down processing
• bottom-up processing

What body part do you use to see?

• eyes
• ears
• hands
• nose