GLOMOsys: the how and why of global and local processing

GLOMOsys (the global vs. local processing model, a systems account) includes predictions about cognitive mechanisms (the how) and functionalities (the why) of two processing systems: one that processes information holistically and one that processes the parts. GLOMOsys suggests that global versus local perceptual processing carries over to other perceptual and conceptual tasks; it summarizes antecedents of global/local processing; and it proposes that global processing is functional for understanding the general meaning of novel events, whereas local processing supports encoding of details in familiar situations and when novel events are threatening.