Sensation and Perception:

Making Contact with the World around Us

117
hles them to navigate turbulent and murky ocean
waters. Nonetheless, it is
I living creatures need information
concerning probably safe to say that virtually
(1) whats out there and (2) how far
ention to this general rule, and we
excep away it is. Humans are no
possess impresive perceptual skills in both areas.
Pattern Recognition: What's Out There?
Vour ability to read the words on this page depends on
your ability to recognize small black marks as
collections of such marks as words (lttelson, 1996). How letters and
do we
C1ogests the following rwo possibilities, termed the bottom-up and accomplish this task? Research on this issue
As their names imply, these adopt somewhat opposite top-down theories of pattern recognition.
perspectives on the basic question of how we recog-
nize patterns of visual stimuli. The bottom-up approach suggests that our ability to
Such as letters of the alphabet, is based on simpler capacities to recognize specific patterns,
recognize and combine correctly lower-level fea-
tures of objects, such as lines, edges, corners, and angles. Bottom-up theories that pattern recognition is
constructed from simpler perceptual abilities through a series of discrete stepssuggest
(Hummell, 1994; Marr, 1982).
In contrast, the top-down approach emphasizes the fact that our
ing our perceptions. We often proceed in accordance with what our past
expectancies play a critical role in shap-
therefore we dont always analyze every feature of most stimuli we encounter.experience
tells us to expect, and

can be extremely efficient (think about the speed with which you can read this Although it
top-down processing
page), also lead
Nearly everyone has had the experience of rushing over to another person who appears to be an old friend,astray
can us

torealize he or she is actually a stranger. In such cases, our tendency to process information only
topdown can indeed produce errors. quickly from the

Which of these theories is correct? New evidence seems to indicate that both are
involved in pattern recognition
(Marsolek & Burgund, 1997). You may recall from our discussions in Chapter 2 that the brain is organized into
wo halves. Each half is specialized to perform certain functions more efficiently
than the other. Marsolek (1999)
Suggests that this arrangement supports separate systems within each hemisphere that accommodate both the fea-

processing that is characteristic of bottom-up processing and the whole-based processing characteristic
oTOp-down processing. How is the brain able to recognize their similarity at one level and diferences at another?
Pparenty, independent systems, referred to as dissociable subsystems, operate simultaneously in each hemisphere.
f -ategory subystem, located primarily in the left side of the brairn, analyzes objects in terms of their
hol Ontrast, a specific-exemplar subsystem, located primarily in the right side of the brain, analvzes objects
how his system allows us to distinguish berween exemplars within a single abstract category. explaining
Deed ghize the specific ways in which the two objects are different. Although additional research will be
n eriy the accuracy ofthis model, the dissociable subsystems theory does seem to provide a plausible
On tor our
efficiency in making sense of the world around us.
Distance Perception: low Far Away Is It?
Our i aDility to judge depth and distance exists because we make use ot many ditterent cues in form-
ing such
Cr t s . These cues can be divided into two categories, monocular and binoular, depending on
a n be seen with only one eye or require the use of both eyes.
Monocular cues to
depth or distance include the following:
. Size cues. The
larger the image of object
larger it is judged an on the retina, the
be; in addition, if object is larger than
to Monocular Cues: Cues to depth
other an

2. Linearobjects,
pe it is often
perceived as closer.
or distance
provided by one eye.
distas Perspective. Parallel lines appear to converge nc
greater this effect, the farther away an object
appears to be.