Top-down processing is defined as the development of pattern recognition through the use of contextual information.
At the time, the chief steward hadnât yet learned of the Titanicâs fate, so he wasnât even on the lookout for icebergs. He simply spotted a streak of red paint along the icebergâs base, which most likely meant a ship had collided with it in the last 12 hours.
On the night of April 14, 1912, though, only a few days into the Titanic's maiden voyage, its Achilles' heel was exposed. The ship wasn't nimble enough to avoid an iceberg that lookouts spotted (the only way to detect icebergs at the time) at the last minute in the darkness.