AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -What Is Top-Down Processing? In top-down processing, perceptions begin with the most general and move toward the more specific. These perceptions are heavily influenced by our expectations and prior knowledge. 1 Put simply, your brain applies what it knows to fill in the blanks and anticipate what’s next.

Detailed explanation-2: -Goldstein (2018) argues that our ability to make sense of typos and misspellings is another example of top-down processing because we are actively applying our previous experiences, knowledge, and expectations to correctly identify misspelled words!

Detailed explanation-3: -Perception. Bottom-up processing is the process of ‘sensation’ and top-down is the process of ‘perception’. Sensation is the input of sensory information from our external environment that is received by our sensory receptors.

Detailed explanation-4: -What is Top Down Processing? Top Down Processing is the idea that our brains form an idea of a big picture first from previous knowledge and then break it down into more specific information. We perceive the world around us by pulling from our perceptual set: past experiences, expectations, and emotions.