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.
Still, after two more warnings he didn't seem to have any worries, (this was probably based on the fact that the Titanic was also called Unsinkable, and many people believed that it couldn't sink!) Finally, as the ship faced an iceberg, Captain Smith starting warning passengers, but not everybody could be saved.