Top-down vs. bottom-up processing
People can read a sentence in which the letters inside each word are scrambled, as long as the first and last letters are correct. This mainly reflects:
Answer C: explanation for every choice
A
Bottom-up processing builds perception from the raw stimulus. The stimulus here is scrambled, so it alone would not produce the correct words.
B
Sensory adaptation is reduced receptor responsiveness to a constant stimulus.
C
Correct. Knowledge of language and expectations fill in the intended words.
D
Feature detection is visual cortex neurons responding to edges, lines, and orientation, a bottom-up mechanism.
TakeawayTop-down: knowledge and expectation shape perception. Bottom-up: perception starts from the stimulus.
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Reviewed 2026-11-05 by a medical student. Spot an error? Report it with question ID ps17.