This model is part of wider Dichotic theory of salience, according to which a stimulus is salient either when it is incongruent in a certain context to a perceiver's schema, or when it is congruent in a certain context to a perceiver's goal.
âThat first day in the Hayden Planetariumâ¦I looked up, the lights dimmed and stars came out, and I was called by the universe. I had no choice in the matter,â he says. From then on, Neil was determined to become an astrophysicist, someone who studies the stars and universe. He saved up for a telescope and spent his evenings studying the night sky on city rooftops. His stargazing habits were not necessarily well received however, as his neighbors would often report him for suspicious behavior.
Many physicists and astronomers work in basic research with the aim of increasing scientific knowledge. These researchers may attempt to develop theories that better explain what gravity is or how the universe works or was formed. Other physicists and astronomers work in applied research.