History of psychology part 2 unit 5 Flashcards
What does Gestalt Psychology emphasize?
Focuses on wholes rather than isolated parts, arguing that the mind perceives the world as organized configurations.
Key Idea: “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
Why was Gestalt Psychology developed?
It was a reaction against Wundt’s elementism, which tried to break down consciousness into basic components.
Gestalt argued that this approach distorted the true nature of experience.
What does the term “Gestalt” mean?
Gestalt translates to “configuration,” “form,” or “whole.”
The approach highlights holistic perception and understanding.
What influenced the development of Gestalt Psychology?
Criticism of Wundt’s molecular approach to psychology.
Focus on the molar approach: Understanding perceptions as meaningful wholes, not separate elements.
Philosophical roots in ideas about holism and the mind’s active role in organizing sensory information.
How does Gestalt Psychology differ from other approaches?
Gestalt: Emphasizes organized patterns and structures in perception.
Wundt/Titchener: Focused on breaking down mental processes into elements.
What is the Phi Phenomenon?
The Phi Phenomenon is the perception of continuous motion between separate visual stimuli presented in rapid succession.
Even though the objects (e.g., lights) are not physically moving, the mind interprets the sequence as smooth movement.
What is Isomorphism in Gestalt Psychology?
Isomorphism means “same form” and suggests a correspondence between how the brain organizes information (physiology) and how we perceive it (perception).
Key Idea: The brain and perception work in similar patterns to form unified wholes.
Example: When looking at a face, we perceive it as a whole rather than as disconnected parts (eyes, nose, mouth).
What is the Law of Prägnanz?
The mind tends to interpret and organize ambiguous or complex images in the simplest and most stable form possible.
Key Characteristics:
Holistic perception: We see meaningful wholes, not isolated elements.
Tendency for simplicity: Patterns are perceived as balanced, symmetrical, and organized.
Example: When looking at an ambiguous image like a duck-rabbit, the simpler or more familiar interpretation (e.g., a duck) is usually perceived first.
How does Top-Down Processing relate to the Law of Prägnanz?
Definition: Our prior knowledge, expectations, and context influence how we perceive sensory information.
Example: Recognizing a blurry image as a dog because our brain uses past experiences and context to fill in missing details.
Q: What is perceptual constancy?
The ability to perceive objects as stable and unchanging despite changes in sensory input, such as lighting, angle, or distance.
Examples:
Shape constancy: A door appears rectangular even as it opens and changes shape visually.
Size constancy: A car looks the same size whether it’s near or far.
Key Idea: Perceptual constancy helps us navigate the world consistently, regardless of varying conditions
What are the key Gestalt principles of perception?
Figure–Ground: Distinguishing an object from its background (e.g., face-vase illusion).
Continuity: Seeing lines and shapes as flowing smoothly (e.g., a curved dotted line appears whole).
Proximity: Grouping nearby objects as related (e.g., dots close together seen as a cluster).
Similarity: Grouping items with shared features (e.g., red and blue circles in rows).
Closure: Filling in gaps to perceive complete shapes (e.g., a broken circle seen as whole)
What did Köhler’s studies on chimpanzees reveal about learning?
Köhler demonstrated insight learning, where chimpanzees solved problems by restructuring their perception of objects and their relationships.
Example: A chimp stacked boxes to reach a banana after suddenly realizing their usefulness, showing problem-solving without trial and error.
What are the main characteristics of insightful learning? (Hergenhahn&Olson,2005)
The shift from confusion to solution is sudden and complete.
Solutions are performed smoothly and without errors.
The solution is remembered for a long time.
The principle can be applied to new problems.
What is transposition in learning?
The ability to apply a learned principle to a new context by focusing on relationships rather than specific details.
Example: Chickens trained to peck at a gray sheet over a white one later chose a darker sheet over the gray, showing they learned the relative difference.
What is productive thinking?
Productive Thinking is solving problems by understanding their structure and relationships, leading to deep insights.
Key Focus: Encourages creativity and meaningful understanding rather than rote memorization.
