Processing is a crucial part of nearly every decision or thought people will make and is the foundation for how we all perceive different things. All of this knowledge gaining, storing, and retrieving happens in fractions of a minute and even seconds depending on the situation. For a bit of reference, there are two types of processing used in almost any situation and many times in tandem, one being [bottom-up processing] which is defined as “the recognition, organization, and interpretation of information from our sensory experiences” (Cosgrove). The other, [top-down processing] which has been deemed as “using our past experiences to guide and interpret the information that is coming in through our senses” (Cosgrove). Now let’s take a look at a situation specifically involving bottom-up processing, which many people are likely familiar with at some point or another during the year, especially in Pennsylvania. To set the scene…

Imagine for a minute that you are driving at night, along some backroads. It is a warm night, where the sky is clear, and there is for the most part complete silence aside from the sounds of your car driving, echoing through the trees that enclose on either side, along with possible radio or music playing. A situation very commonplace for people to find themselves in who are not living in an urban setting, whether it be: coming home from a late night of work, taking a trip to someone’s house, or just going for a mind easing drive to relax from a stressful schoolwork load. Now as you finish rounding a corner and begin to accelerate along a straighter road, you notice a faint moving shadow forming out of the corner of your eye, which takes your attention away from the mundane dotted yellow line at the center of your view. Before you can put two and two together and realize what you are looking at, transitioning from being just a blur at night and into your bright headlights or high beams, you are now face to face with an adult deer which has strayed halfway into your lane and is about 15-20 feet away from you… what is your initial perception of the situation?

Well, using bottom-up processing you are likely to want to avoid a collision with the animal whether that is swerving your car to a side slightly or slamming on the breaks hopefully in time as to not cause damage to yourself, the animal, or your car. And, in that moment, going through your head as a response to seeing the animal in fairly close proximity to your moving vehicle, you are likely playing out the scenario of hitting the deer (which is still a possibility as you have not passed it yet,) and this happens as a result of what your visual senses and your somatosensorial system are telling your brain. You will likely think about how long you have to react, the speed at which you are going, and how that speed will impact: your car, likely you, and the deer as well, maybe how it will feel to crash—possibly even about the potential of the deer flying up and through your windshield as a result of the sudden change in pressure and direction applied to your moving windshield. —Or how your airbags may burst out and obstruct your view of the road as you hopefully come to a complete stop while remaining on the road.
—Or hopefully, how you suddenly miss the deer altogether and are able to keep driving to your destination with no damage done and a sigh of relief.

The reason for the depth of this example is to show that these are all thoughts that are not only common but expected and amplified in stressful situations, and personally, I have had many times when encountering a deer at night. However, being someone who has never had an actual accident with one or had an accident at all while driving, these perceptions about my immediate situation and the potential outcome would still be going through my head at a rapid pace. This shows how there are no past experiences helping me define what is likely to happen. Rather, it is the sole act of my different senses telling me how logically things may play out based on the circumstance at hand, and my brain processing that information. Thus, being a situation deeply rooted with bottom-up processing.

References:

Goldstein, E. B. (2018). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research, and everyday experience (5th ed.). Cengage.

Cosgrove, A. (2023). PSYCH256: Introduction to Cognitive Psychology. Lesson 3 : Perception. Canvas https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2248189/modules/items/37225501

Cosgrove, A. (2023). PSYCH256: Introduction to Cognitive Psychology. Lesson 3 : Perception. Canvas https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2248189/modules/items/37225502