Perception and Sensory Processing

Perception and Sensory Processing Notes

Bottom-Up and Top-Down Processing

• Bottom-Up Processing: Begins with the senses and works up to the brain.

  • Involves attuning to raw, unfiltered sensations in the body, such as tension in shoulders, jaw, or brow, or sensing a headache.
  • Examples: Shrugging to soften the body, observing a sharp pain in the gut before interpreting it.
  • This is the initial stage where sensory information (what we see, hear, feel) makes its way to the brain.

• Top-Down Processing: Involves the brain interpreting and labeling sensory information based on prior knowledge and expectations.

  • The brain accesses past memories and learned knowledge to make sense of sensations.
  • It promotes thinking, allowing us to interact with and regulate the sensations our body is communicating.
  • Examples: Labeling a gut pain as an indicator of a