10 Questions
Gestalt Psychology was at the forefront of the ______ psychology
cognitive
Gestalt Theory was initial ______ response to behaviorism
cognitive
The term 'Gestalt' means form or ______
configuration
Factors like past experience, needs, attitudes and one’s present situation can affect their ______
perception
Law of Proximity states that elements that are closer together will be perceived as coherent ______
objects
Law of Closure: We tend to fill the gaps or “close” the figures we perceive. We enclose a space by completing a contour and ignoring ______ in the figure.
gaps
Law of Good Continuation: Individuals have the tendency to continue contours whenever the elements of the pattern establish an implied direction. People tend to draw a good continuous ______.
line
Law of Good Pragnanz: The stimulus will be organized into as good a figure as possible. In this example, it refers to symmetry, simplicity, and regularity. The figure is perceived as a square overlapping a triangle, not a combination of several complicated ______.
shapes
Law of Figure/Ground: We tend to pay attention and perceive things in the foreground first. A stimulus will be perceived as separate from its ______.
ground
Insight learning: Gestalt psychology adheres to the idea of learning taking place by discovery or insight. The idea of insight learning was first developed by Wolfgang Kohler, who described experiments with apes where the apes could use boxes and sticks as tools to solve problems. Kohler referred to this behavior as insight or discovery learning. Kohler proposed the view that insight follows from the characteristics of objects under consideration. His theory suggested that learning could occur when the individual perceives the relationships of the elements before him and recognizes these elements and comes to a greater understanding or insight. This could occur without reinforcement, and once it occurs, no view, training, or investigation is necessary. Significantly, insight is not necessarily observable by another ______.
person
Study Notes
Gestalt Psychology
- Served as the foundation of the cognitive perspective to learning, opposing the external and mechanistic focus of behaviorism.
- Emphasized the importance of sensory wholes and the dynamic nature of visual perception.
- The term "Gestalt" means form or configuration.
Key Psychologists
- Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Kohler, and Kurt Koffka studied perception and concluded that learners are not passive, but rather active processors of information.
- Wolfgang Kohler developed the idea of insight learning, which occurs when the individual perceives relationships between elements and recognizes a greater understanding.
Gestalt Principles
- Law of Proximity: Elements closer together will be perceived as a coherent object.
- Law of Similarity: Elements that look similar will be perceived as part of the same form.
- Law of Closure: People tend to fill gaps or "close" figures to perceive them.
- Law of Good Continuation: Individuals have the tendency to continue contours whenever the elements of the pattern establish an implied direction.
- Law of Good Pragnanz: The stimulus will be organized into as good a figure as possible, based on symmetry, simplicity, and regularity.
- Law of Figure/Ground: People tend to pay attention and perceive things in the foreground first, separating the stimulus from its ground.
Insight Learning
- Learning takes place by discovery or insight, rather than reinforcement.
- Insight learning involves the coordination of thinking to create new organizations of materials.
- Insight follows from the characteristics of objects under consideration, and can occur without reinforcement.
Gestalt Principles and the Teaching-Learning Process
- The six Gestalt principles influence not only perception but also learning.
- Psychologists like Kurt Lewin and Mario Polito expanded on Gestalt psychology, applying it to education and "life space".
- Inner forces (motivation, attitudes, feelings) and outer forces (teachers' and classmates' attitudes and behavior) interact and impact on an individual's learning.
Test your knowledge on the foundational principles of Gestalt Psychology, which focused on mental processes, perception, and the dynamic nature of visual perception. Learn about how Gestalt Theory contributed to the cognitive perspective in psychology.
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