How the evolution of our brains may facilitate the evolution of a company's culture. P2: Top-Down Processing
Top-Down Processing
'information processing in which an overall hypothesis about or general conceptualisation of a stimulus is applied to and influences the analysis of incoming stimulus data. For example, in reading, knowledge about letter and word frequencies, syntax, and other regularities in language guides the recognition of incoming information. In this type of processing, a person's higher-level knowledge, concepts, or expectations influence the processing of lower-level information. Typically, perceptual or cognitive mechanisms use top-down processing when information is familiar and not especially complex.'
- American Psychological Association (APA)
In last week's newsletter, we visualised sitting at our desks with the chair's stability beneath us, providing unconscious reassurance that we were supported. This scenario formed the context for understanding how 'Confirmation Bias' -' the tendency to gather evidence that confirms preexisting expectations, typically by emphasising or pursuing supporting evidence while dismissing or failing to seek contradictory evidence, a psychological phenomenon which sees the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) - along with other brain areas - process the information we encounter in our everyday lives facilitating this selective focus on information that supports the reinforcement of these existing beliefs through reward-related mechanisms.
When we are sitting at our desks (as you may well be now reading this article), we are aware - however subconsciously - but aware nonetheless that we are supported, we are not going to fall, and the chair will hold us. This is due to the thousands of assumptions our brain makes when we sit down - or any action we take, for that matter. Every time we do anything - our brain makes thousands of assumptions simultaneously to ensure we are safe. As discussed in last week's newsletter, one of our brain's primary goals is to keep us safe, and it has evolved to do so. These assumptions our brains make are based on the information we have acquired throughout our lives as our brains attempt to identify patterns and predict what may occur. These assumptions keep us alive, and this cognitive process where we experience the world based on our experiences is known as 'Top-Down Processing'. Whenever we encounter information, when we open our eyes and see our desk in front of us, these thousands of assumptions happen in various brain areas that work together to inform our actions. Top-Down Processing uses prior knowledge and expectations to interpret and make sense of sensory information - we sit on chairs, and our previous experiences of sitting on chairs inform us we are supported - and works in contrast with 'Bottom-Up Processing' where the stimulus we encounter forms the basis of our knowledge - we see the chair for the first time, we sit on a chair, we learn we can sit on chair and will be supported. Bottom - Up Processing often happens when encountering something new. Still, our focus for this article's discussion is on 'Top-Down'.
Neural Process:
So what's happening in our brain during 'Top-Down Processing'? When we encounter sensory information (we 'see' the chair), our visual cortex - an area located in the Occipital Lobe at the back of our brains - facilitates our sight. Our Parietal Cortex (PC) uses this visual information to direct our attention based on our preexisting knowledge. This is then processed by The Prefrontal Cortex (PFC), as discussed last week. So, for example, if you had previously sat on a chair and it broke - your PC may drive attention towards this experience, resulting in your PFC generating expectations and predictions that modulate your activity, sending signals that result in you deciding to stand rather than sit on the chair and take what you perceive to be a risk. We also learnt last week of the PFC's goal orientation focus, so in this instance, when your goal is to be stable, your PFC's decision influences your decision to stand rather than sit in achieving said goal. As with 'Confirmation Bias', discussed last week, 'Top-Down Processing' is another example of our brain's evolution to prioritise our safety and survival achieved through efficient operation.
Our brain developed these mechanisms to quickly process information, make decisions, and respond to the world around us as a means to ward off anything that threatens our survival. One way our brains do this is 'through Predictive Processing' - an element of 'Top-Down Processing', 'Predictive Processing' is when our brains utilise our previously attained knowledge to predict outcomes related to familiar surroundings that dictate our decisions. This process evolved to conserve our cognitive resources for more detrimental situations. In everyday situations, our Brians don't need to analyse every situation we encounter down to its finer details and can draw conclusions quickly.
Safety in numbers
Social inclusion is a primary survival aspect; being accepted by a group makes survival all the more likely. A primary driver of cohesion in groups is the maintenance of shared beliefs. Confirmation Bias discussed in last week's newsletter reinforces these shared beliefs, increasing our likelihood of being accepted by groups and, as a result, increasing our likelihood of safety through collective survival. During Top-Down Processing, decisions made through Confirmation Bias can be reinforced through preexisting knowledge or association of the safety of being in a group for survival. In short, Confirmation Bias & Top-Down Processing can contribute to an individual's likelihood to agree with a group's sentiment.
In last week's newsletter, as a result of your Prefrontal Cortex executive decisions during Cognitive Bias driven by a goal to attain a promotion in the near future, you agreed with your manager's ludicrous claim that you were both standing in a field despite you both being present at your desks in the office. We also discussed how other decision-makers involved in the promotional process were within earshot, and your response solidified their thinking of you as a team player. Say, for example, that previously, you had been in a situation where agreeing with your manager seemed to bode well with other decision-makers. Down Processing draws on this past experience as a means of reassuring safety, further driving your decision to agree with your manager's statement, reinforcing this decision, however ludicrous.
Top-Down Processing interprets new information using preexisting knowledge, expectations, and experiences. This process can reinforce confirmation bias by filtering information that aligns with what is already known or believed. If being part of a group is associated with safety and survival (from an evolutionary perspective), top-down processing will support decisions that maintain group harmony. Another aspect discussed last week was the chemical reward response through the release of the neurotransmitter 'Dopamine', which further reinforces these functions by creating a positive feedback loop. This processing drives the repetition of these types of decision-making and actions.
When these processes are combined, an individual is more likely to agree with the thinking of a group because both confirmation bias and top-down processing work together to favour information that supports group cohesion, as cognitive dissonance is reduced. The perceived benefits of staying aligned with the group are enhanced.
Example Scenario:
Imagine an office setting where team members are discussing a new project strategy. An individual, aware that aligning with the team's consensus might increase their chances of being seen as a cooperative team player (goal orientation), uses confirmation bias to favour information that supports the group's preferred strategy. Simultaneously, their top-down processing draws on past experiences that emphasise the safety and benefits of group agreement, further reinforcing their decision to align with the group sentiment.
This brings us to next week's topic: 'Group Dynamics'. The American Psychological Association defines group dynamics as 'the processes, operations, and changes that occur within groups, which affect patterns of affiliation, communication, conflict, conformity, decision making, influence, leadership, norm formation, and power.' Group Dynamics forms the basis for an interesting discussion on how our individual tendencies work to create the norms in the workplace.