Exam 1: Perception Flashcards
What is perception?
Perception is the process by which sensations (e.g., sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch) are organized and interpreted
What is Gestalt psychology?
The underlying idea is that stimuli are perceived as an organized whole, not as disjointed pieces—“the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.”
What are the two principles of perception (in relation to Gestalt principles)?
- Principles of Context
2. Principles of Grouping
What are principles of context?
How the surrounding environment (context) helps determine individuals’ perceptions of stimuli in that environment
What are principles of grouping?
How people organize individual stimuli into groups or chunks of meaningful information
What are the 3 principles of Context?
- “Good Gestalt” Principle
- Figure-Ground Principle
- Past Experience Principle
What is the “Good Gestalt” Principle?
People perceive stimuli as an organized whole rather than as disjointed pieces. Consequently, our perceptions of individual components will depend on the context in which they appear (size of the bubbles)
What is the Figure-Ground Principle?
People distinguish a prominent and well-defined stimulus in the foreground (the figure) from less prominent, indefinite stimuli in the background (the ground)
What are the marketing applications Figure-Ground Principle?
Making the product stand out using movement, color, isolation, and shapes
What is the Past Experience Principle?
Stimuli are categorized according to past experience. If two objects tend to be observed together, the objects are more likely to be perceived together
What are the five principles of Grouping?
- Similarity Principle
- Proximity Principle
- Symmetry Principle
- Continuity Principle
- Closure Principle
What is the Similarity Principle?
Things that are physically similar are perceived as belonging together or as forming a whole figure (Marketers want their customers to see their various marketing entities as belonging together in an integrated marketing program, and so they create them to be similar)
What is the Proximity Principle?
Things that are close to one another are perceived as belonging together or as forming a whole figure (The basic idea is to “group like with like”, similar ads, bundling)
What is the Symmetry Principle?
People categorize unconnected elements that are symmetrical into one coherent object (Symmetry will be perceived either positively or negatively by a viewer depending on the product, purpose of the communication, and/or the consumer’s personality)
What is the Continuity Principle?
People categorize stimuli into smooth, uninterrupted, continuous forms rather than discontinuous patterns (building a sense of continuity can create appeal and brand equity, can be seen in logos, long-running ad campaigns…)
