Chapter 14: Gestalt Psychology

Elementism (Wundt)

Belief that complex mental or behavioral processes are composed/ derived from simple elements.

Gestalt

German word meaning “configuration” or “Whole”

What did the new German gestalt psychologist believe about conscious experience?

Believed we do not experience things in isolated pieces, but in meaningful, intact configurations

Were the gestalts opposed to Elementism in psychology?

Yes, opposed to every type of elementism

Molecular apporach

The attempt to reduce complex phenomena into small units for detailed study

Molar approach

The attempt to focus on intact mental and behavioral phenomena without dividing those phenomena in any way.

What approach did the gestalts take? (Molar or molecular)

A molar approach

Phenomenology

The study of intact, meaningful, mental phenomena

Gestalt psychology represented an effort to model psychology after what theory?

Field Theory

Gestalt Psychology

The type of psychology that studies whole, intact segments of behavior and cognitive experience.

Field theory

Branch of physics that studies how energy distributes itself with in physical systems

Phi Phenomenon (Wertheimer)

The illusion that light is moving form one location to another. caused by flashing two lights on an off at a certain rate

Max Wertheimer

Founded the school of gestalt psychology with his paper on phi phenomenon

Kurt Koffka

Worked with Wertheimer on his early perception experiments. Consider the cofounder of gestalt psychology

what did Immanuel Kant and the Gestaltist believe?

That consciousness cannot be reduced to sensory stimulation, and conscious experience is different from the elements that compose it.

What did Max Werthemier propose about perceptions?

Proposed that our perceptions are different than the sensations that comprise them

Use field theory to explain how cognitive experiences happen?

Cognitive expereinces result from the fields of brain activity transforming snesory data and giving data characteristics it would not otherwise posess.

Psychophysical isomorphism

Gesltates contention that the pattern of activity produced by the brain rather sensory experience as such causes mental experience

What did gesalts say about brain activity and patterns of consciousness?

Said they were structurally the same

What hypothesis did the Gestaltists opposed?

The constancy hypothesis

Constancy hypothesis

Contention that there is a strict one-one correspondence between environmental stimulation and sensations

Instead of viewing the brain as a passive receiver and recorder of sensory information. How did the gestaltists view the brain?

as a dynamic configuration of forces that transforms sensory information

What analysis did gestaltist employ (Top down or bottom up) and Why?

Top Down Analysis, Stated that organized brain activity dominates our perception, not the stimuli that enter into activity. (Whole is more important than the parts)

Law Of pragnanz

The psychological organization will always be as good as conditions allow because fields of brain activity will always distribute themselves in the simplest way possible under prevailing conditions

What does the law of pragnanz assert about all cognitive experiences?

All experiences will tend to be as organized, symmetrical, simple, and regular as they can be, given the pattern of brain activity at any given moment

Perceptual constancy

The tendency to respond to objects as being the same, even when we experience those objects under a wide variety of circumstances

How was the perceptual consistency phenomenon explained by the gestalts?

Explained as a function of the ongoing brain activity and the fields activity

Figure-ground relationship

Division of the perceptual field into a figure (That is being attended to) and a ground, which provides the background for the figure

Continuity

Tendency to experience stimuli with one another will be experienced as a perceptual unit to make a whole

Proximity

Stimuli which are close together tend to be grouped together as a perceptual unit

Inclusiveness

When there is more than one figure, we are most likely to dee the figure that contains the greatest number of stimuli

Similarity

Objects that are similar in some way tend to form perceptual units

Closure

Incomplete figures in the physical world are perceived as complete ones

Geographical Environment (Koffka)

Physical Reality/ Environment

Behavioral Environment (Koffka)

Subjective reality/ Interpretation

What governs our actions more? (geographical environment or Behavioral Environment)

Behavioral Environment

What type of trial and error did the gestalt emphasize in regard to learning?

Emphasized cognitive trial and error as opposed to behavioral trial and error

Insightful Learning

Learing that involves perceiving the solution to a problem after a period of cognitive trial and error

What are the four characteristics of insightful learning?

1. The transition from pre-solution to solution is sudden and complete

2. performance based on a solution gained by insight is usually smooth and free of errors

3. A solution to a problem is gained by insight and is retained for a considerable length of time

4. a principle gained by insight is easily applied to other problems

What type of learning will occur typically if an organism is presented with a problem along with what every is necessary to solve the problem?

Insight Learning

Transposition

The application of a principle learned in one learning or problem-solving situation to other similar situations.

Productive Thinking (Werthemier)

The type of thinking that ponders principles rather than isolated facts and that aims at understanding the solutions to problems rather than memorizing a certain problem-solving strategy

Learning based on gestalt principles would be based on understanding . . .

The structure of the problem, followed by the solution (The solution is reinforcing)

Learning and problem-solving are (Intrinsic or extrinsically reinforcing?)

Intrinsically reinforcing

Memory process (Koffka)

Brain activity caused by a specific environmental event, when the environmental event ends so does the activity

Memory trace

Remnant of an experience that remains in the brain after an experience has ended

Trace System

Consolidation of the essential features of memories of individual objects/classes of objects

What law does the brain simplify and balances memories with one another to align perceptual experiences across the trace system?

The Law of Pragnanz

Is gestalt therapy a direct descendant from gestalt psychology?

No