gestalt psychology + perception

gestalt psychology

a psychological approach that emphasizes that we often perceive the whole rather than the sum of the parts

figure

the part of a pattern that commands attention; stands out against the ground

ground

the part of a pattern that does not command attention; the background

closure

the tendency to complete figures that are incomplete

laws of perceptual grouping

how our brains prefer to group stimulus elements together to form a precept (similarity, proximity, continuity and common fate)

law of similarity

principle that we tend to group similar objects together in our perceptions

law of proximity

principle that we tend to group objects together when they are near each other

law of continuity

principle that we prefer perceptions of connected and continuous figures to disconnected and disjointed ones

law of common fate

principle that we tend to group similar objects together that share a common motion or destination

law of pragnanz

principle that the simplest organization, requiring the least cognitive effort, will emerge as the figure

stroboscopic motion

illusion of movement is produced by showing the rapid progression of images or objects that are not moving at all

phi phenomenon

illusion of movement created when two or more adjacent lights blink on and off in quick succession

autokinetic effect

illusion, caused by very slight movements of the eye, that a stationary point of light in a dark room is moving

binocular cues

depth cues, such as retinal disparity, that depend on the use of two eyes

monocular cues

depth cues available to either eye alone

learning-based inference

view that perception is primarily shaped by prior learning and experience

perceptual set

a mental predisposition to perceive one thing and not another