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Representation and Brain pp 21–45Cite as

Multiple Mechanisms of Top-Down Processing in Vision

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Abstract

No animal could survive for long without perception. We must perceive the world, not only to find food, shelter, and mates, but also to avoid predators. Perception will fail if an animal does not register what is actually in the world. However, this simple observation does not imply that all processing during perception is “bottom up”rd—driven purely by the sensory input. Rather, bottom-up processing can be usefully supplemented by using stored information, engaging in processing that is “top down”—driven by stored knowledge, goals, or expectations. In this chapter we explore the nature of top-down processing and its intimate dance with bottom-up processing. We begin by considering basic facts about the primate visual system, and then consider a theory of its functional organization, followed by novel proposals regarding the nature of different sorts of top-down processing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Giorgio Ganis

  2. Massachusetts General Hospital, Martinos Center, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA

    Giorgio Ganis

  3. Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA

    Giorgio Ganis & Stephen M. Kosslyn

  4. Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02142, USA

    Stephen M. Kosslyn

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  1. Giorgio Ganis
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  1. Kokoro Research Center, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

    Shintaro Funahashi Ph.D. (Professor) (Professor)

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Ganis, G., Kosslyn, S.M. (2007). Multiple Mechanisms of Top-Down Processing in Vision. In: Funahashi, S. (eds) Representation and Brain. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-73021-7_2

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