Influence of top-down and bottom-up processing on segmentation
EVENT
It is important to consider what influences the perception of event boundaries. Prior work has evaluated the effect of knowledge on event encoding and the results are mixed. A few studies using an expert-novice paradigm have found differences in segmentation ability within the experts’ domain of knowledge, such that experts segment at a different frequencyHowever, it is important to consider that these prior studies have all included young adult samples. It is possible that older adults, compared to younger adults, may rely less on perceptual input from the environment and more upon their semantic knowledge and relevant experiences, due to the normal decline in perceptual processes and executive abilities with ageIt is important to note that nearly all studies evaluating prior knowledge, event segmentation and memory, including those conducted in our laboratory, have used a quasi-experimental design with naturally occurring groups of experts and novices