Gestalt psychology

Jun 29, 2011 07:41 PM

Berlin School headed by Carl Stumpf... his students ounfed Gestalt...

the brain is holistic, parallel and analog with self-organizing tendencies.

The Gestalt effect is the form-generating capability of our senses... partic visual recognition of figures and whole forms.

The WHOLE is GREATER THAN the SUM of the PARTS.

Max Wertheimer:  unique contrib that the GESTALT is PRIMARY... defining the parts of which it was composed

(rather than being a secondary quality.

Inspired by the work of Ernst MACH.

Early 20th century theorists, such as <a title="Kurt Koffka" href="/wiki/Kurt_Koffka">Kurt Koffka</a>, <a title="Max Wertheimer" href="/wiki/Max_Wertheimer">Max Wertheimer</a>, and <a title="Wolfgang Köhler" href="/wiki/Wolfgang_K%C3%B6hler">Wolfgang Köhler</a> (students of <a title="Carl Stumpf" href="/wiki/Carl_Stumpf">Carl Stumpf</a>) saw objects as perceived within an environment according to all of their elements taken together as a global construct. This 'gestalt' or 'whole form' approach sought to define principles of <a title="Perception" href="/wiki/Perception">perception</a>  .

These laws took several forms, such as the grouping of similar, or proximate, objects together, within this global process

The theoretical principles are the following:

<ul>

<li>Principle of Totality - The conscious experience must be considered globally (by taking into account all the physical and mental aspects of the individual simultaneously) because the nature of the mind demands that each component be considered as part of a <a title="System" href="/wiki/System">system</a> of dynamic relationships.</li>

<li>Principle of <a title="Psychophysical parallelism" href="/wiki/Psychophysical_parallelism">psychophysical</a> <a title="Isomorphism (Gestalt psychology)" href="/wiki/Isomorphism_(Gestalt_psychology)">isomorphism</a> - A <a class="mw-redirect" title="Correlation" href="/wiki/Correlation">correlation</a> exists between conscious experience and <a title="Human brain" href="/wiki/Human_brain">cerebral</a> activity.</li>

</ul>

see quote from Jerry Lettvin article on frog's eye and motion.

KEY:  See Properties

EMERGENCE:  the Dalmatian Dog  is seen all at once.

REIFICATION:  VERY IMPORTANT... look at figures:  pacmen triangle  and  the  underwater mine ... great illusion

and the snake.    ILLUSORY CONTOURS.

MULTISTABILITY:  BISTABLE CONTOURS  Rubin Vase (Face Vase) and the Necker Cube.

INVARIANCE:  <a title="Class invariant" href="/wiki/Class_invariant">Invariance</a> is the property of perception whereby simple geometrical objects are recognized independent of rotation, translation, and scale; as well as several other variations such as elastic deformations, different lighting, and different component features.

PRAGNANZ:  Principles of grouping  german for pithiness...

law of closure....   dashed circles and squares

law of similarity  in form, color, size, brightness

law of proximity:   grouping together  dots...

law of continuity... continuing visual, auditory, and kinetic patterns

law of common fate:elements iwht the same moving direction.

Gestalt views in Psychology:

Productive Thinking:  solving a problem with INSIGHT!!!   Max Wertheimer;

Quick, insightful, unplanned.

Gestalt psychology

Attachments