Information processing that occurs automatically when perceiving stimuli is called ______.

Information processing that occurs automatically when perceiving stimuli is called ______.

• A. Analyzed
• B. Automated
• C. Encoded
• D. Retrieved

Answer: (B)

Automatic processing is information processing that happens without conscious effort as you perceive stimuli. It’s fast, requires little attentional effort, and often runs in the background so you can focus on other things. The term automated fits best because something automated is done automatically, without deliberate control. The other terms refer to different cognitive operations: analyzed implies deliberate examination, encoded is about putting information into memory, and retrieved is about pulling information from memory. So automated processing best describes perceiving stimuli automatically.

Automatic processing is information processing that happens without conscious effort as you perceive stimuli. It’s fast, requires little attentional effort, and often runs in the background so you can focus on other things. The term automated fits best because something automated is done automatically, without deliberate control. The other terms refer to different cognitive operations: analyzed implies deliberate examination, encoded is about putting information into memory, and retrieved is about pulling information from memory. So automated processing best describes perceiving stimuli automatically.