What is Gestalt psychology?
Q: What is Gestalt psychology?
A: Gestalt psychology is a theory of mind and brain formed in Berlin early in the 20th century. It states that the brain sees things as a whole, rather than just a collection of lines and curves.
Q: How does Gestalt theory explain perception?
A: Gestalt theory explains perception by suggesting that we are innately driven to experience things in as good a gestalt (whole form) as possible. This can mean regularity, orderliness, simplicity, symmetry, etc., which then refer to specific gestalt laws.
Q: Who developed the idea of Gestalt psychology?
A: The idea of Gestalt psychology was developed by early 20th century theorists such as Kurt Koffka, Max Wertheimer, and Wolfgang Köhler (students of Carl Stumpf).
Q: What is an example of apparent motion?
A: An example of apparent motion is when we perceive motion where there is nothing more than a rapid sequence of individual sensory events. This effect can be seen with Christmas lights appearing to course around the tree or neon signs seeming to move in Las Vegas.
Q: What did Max Wertheimer observe about how people perceive objects?
A: Max Wertheimer observed that people tend to see similar objects or close together objects as meaningfully connected. He also noted that when standing at a window looking out at a house, trees and sky he didn't have "327" brightnesses and nuances but instead saw sky, house and trees.
Q: How has Gestalt psychology been used since its inception?
A: Since its inception, Gestalt psychology has been used as the basis for further research into the perception of patterns and objects; behavior; thinking; problem solving; psychopathology; and modern cognitive psychology (although it should be noted that it is distinct from gestalt psychotherapy).
