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# Gestalt Psychology Gestalt psychology offers principles that explain how we organize our perceptions: * **Closure:** We tend to see incomplete figures as complete. For instance, we can perceive a whole circle even if part of it is missing. * **Figure and ground:** We differentiate objects from t...

# Gestalt Psychology Gestalt psychology offers principles that explain how we organize our perceptions: * **Closure:** We tend to see incomplete figures as complete. For instance, we can perceive a whole circle even if part of it is missing. * **Figure and ground:** We differentiate objects from their background. For example, faces or a vase in the picture? * **Proximity:** Objects that are close together are seen as a group. Imagine seeing a cluster of dots and perceiving it as a single shape. * **Similarity:** Similar objects are perceived as a group. Think of how we group items of the same color together. # Gestalt Examples (The following are examples of Gestalt principles) | Principle | Description | |---|---| | Emergence | A chaotic image resolves into distinct shapes or a cohesive figure. | | Multistability | A single image could represent different interpretations. | | Figure/Background Selection | Determining what is the figure and what background.| | Reification | Creating a 3D representation of a shape. | | Illusory Contours | An image that creates a perception of a solid form even when there is none.| | Invariance | We perceive objects the same way regardless of differences in position and orientation.| | Closure | We perceive a shape even if parts are missing. | | Similarity | Items that look alike are grouped together.| | Proximity | Items that are close together are grouped together. | | Continuity | We tend to see continuous lines and patterns rather than broken ones | # Attention and Inattention Attention involves both sensation and perception, influenced by internal and external factors. * **Selective attention:** We often focus on particular information while ignoring other information. * **Cocktail party effect:** A prime example of selective attention. Even in a noisy room, we can still hear our names mentioned. * **Inattention:** Sometimes, we miss aspects of our environment because we are not paying attention. This can lead to "change blindness", i.e., failing to notice changes in a scene due to distractions. * **Cocktail party effect (again):** This effect shows how we selectively focus on certain stimuli even in a noisy environment. Imagine being at a party, even with loud music and conversations, we can still hear our name called across the room. This selective attention helps us focus on important information amid distractions.