Figure 5. Demonstration of the Influence of Associative Pictorial Recall (Top-Down Signaling) on the Interpretation of a Retinal Stimulus (Bottom-Up Signaling)

To most observers, this figure initially appears as a random pattern with no clear figural interpretation. The perceptual experience elicited by this stimulus is radically (and perhaps permanently) different after viewing the pattern shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8. Demonstration of the Influence of Associative Pictorial Recall (Top-Down Signaling) on the Interpretation of a Retinal Stimulus (Bottom-Up Signaling)

Most observers will experience a clear meaningful percept upon viewing this pattern. After achieving this percept, refer back to Figure 5. The perceptual interpretation of the pattern should now be markedly different, with a figural interpretation that is driven largely by imaginal influences drawn from memory.