Gestalt Psychology

Max Wertheimer

Founder of Gestalt Psychology; discovered the Phi Phenomenon and rejected the Mosaic Model of the mind.

Phi Phenomenon (1912)

Wertheimer's experiment with flashing lights showing we perceive motion where there is none, proving the Whole is different from the parts.

Gestalt Motto

"The whole is other than the sum of its parts."

Top-Down Processing (Gestalt)

The idea that we perceive the Whole (meaning/structure) first, before we notice the individual parts.

Figure-Ground (Rubin)

The perceptual tendency to separate a visual scene into a prominent object (Figure) and a background (Ground). Example: Faces/Vase illusion.

Law of Proximity

Gestalt law stating that objects close to each other are grouped together.

Law of Similarity

Gestalt law stating that objects that look alike (shape/color) are grouped together.

Law of Closure

Gestalt law stating that the mind fills in gaps to see a complete, whole shape.

Law of Good Continuation

Gestalt law stating that we tend to perceive smooth, continuous lines rather than disjointed ones.

Insight Learning

The sudden understanding of a problem's structure ("Aha

Wolfgang Köhler

Gestalt psychologist who studied chimps in the Canary Islands and proved Insight Learning (understanding relations vs. connections).

Kurt Koffka

The promoter of Gestalt psychology; applied Gestalt principles to Child Development.

Kurt Lewin

Founder of Social Psychology; developed Field Theory and the equation B = f(P, E) (Behavior = Person + Environment).

Isomorphism (Köhler)

The theory that the structural organization of experience (Mind) is structurally identical to the underlying physiological events in the brain (Electricity).

Zeigarnik Effect

The tendency to remember unfinished or interrupted tasks better than completed ones due to motivational pressure.

Bluma Zeigarnik

Student of Lewin who discovered the Zeigarnik Effect by observing waiters remembering unpaid orders.

Mosaic Model

The view (rejected by Gestalt) that the mind is just a collection of tiny, separate sensations glued together.

Social Field (Lewin)

The idea that humans exist in a dynamic social environment where subjective meaning determines behavior.

Frustration (Lewin's View)

Frustration does not always lead to aggression; it can also lead to Regression (childish behavior) or stereotypes.

Democratic vs. Authoritarian Leadership (Lewin)

Lewin showed that democratic/open leadership leads to better mood and performance than authoritarian leadership.

Restructuring

The mental process in Insight Learning where the parts of a problem are rearranged until they "click" into a solution.