Gestalt Psychology

Flashcards covering key concepts and terminology related to Gestalt Psychology.

Gestalt Psychology

A psychological approach that emphasizes that consciousness cannot be broken down into elements without distortion.

Elementism

A method in psychology that simplifies behavior into basic elements, opposed by Gestalt psychologists.

Max Wertheimer

One of the founders of Gestalt psychology who conducted experiments on perception and motion.

Perceptual constancy

The ability to perceive an object as unchanging despite changes in sensory input.

Law of Pragnanz

The principle stating that cognitive experiences tend to be organized, symmetrical, and simple.

Insightful learning

A type of learning characterized by a sudden realization of a solution, better than rote learning.

Field Theory

A concept which suggests that behavior is determined by the total influences acting on an individual at any moment.

Life Space

The total influences acting on an individual, including both internal and external factors.

Zeigarnik effect

The phenomenon where uncompleted tasks are remembered better than completed ones.

Principle of Similarity

A principle stating that objects that appear similar are grouped together perceptually.