User:Kemem9634/Parallel processing (psychology)

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In psychology, parallel processing is the ability of the brain to simultaneously process incoming stimuli of differing quality. Parallel processing is associated with the visual system in that the brain divides what it sees into four components: color, motion, shape, and depth. These are individually analyzed and then compared to stored memories, which helps the brain identify what you are viewing. The brain then combines all of these into the field of view that is then seen and comprehended. This is a continual and seamless operation. For example, if one is standing between two different groups of people who are simultaneously carrying on two different conversations, one may be able to pick up only some information of both conversations at the same time. Parallel processing has been linked, by some experimental psychologists, to the stroop effect (resulting from the stroop test where there is a mismatch between the name of a color and the color that the word is written in). In the stroop effect, an inability to attend to all stimuli is seen through people's selective attention.

In 1990, American Psychologist David Rumelhart proposed the model of parallel distributed processing (PDP) in hopes of studying neural processes through computer simulations. According to Rumelhart, the PDP model represents information processing as interactions between elements called units, with the interactions being either excitatory or inhibitory in nature.

Serial vs parallel processing[edit]
Serial processing involves sequential processing of information, without any overlap of processing times. In contrast, parallel processing involves the processing of multiple information at once. The distinction between these two processing models is most observed during visual stimuli is targeted and processed ( also called visual search). In case of serial processing, objects are visually searched one after the other in a serial order to find the target. When the target is found, the search terminates. Alternatively, if the target is not present, it continues to the end to ensure its absence. This results in reduced accuracy and increased time for displays with more objects.

On the other hand, in the case of parallel processing, all objects are processed simultaneously but the completion times may vary. This may or may not reduce the accuracy, but the time courses are similar irrespective of the size of the display.

Aspects of the parallel distributed processing (PDP) model[edit]
There are eight major aspects of a parallel distributed processing model :