Gestalt Psychology - Lesson 13

Max Wertheimer

Founding Gestalt psychology; discovered the Phi Phenomenon (apparent motion between flashing lights).

Phi Phenomenon

Apparent motion between flashing lights.

Holistic Perception

We see 'wholes,' not parts.

Active Mental Organization

Perception involves active mental organization.

Opposition to Elementism and Behaviorism

Wertheimer favored cognition and meaningful experience.

Impact of Max Wertheimer

Laid the foundation for Gestalt psychology; showed that the mind organizes perception beyond sensory data.

Wolfgang Köhler

Insight learning in apes; coined 'The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.'

Insight Learning

Problem-solving is not trial-and-error, but involves sudden insight.

Cognitive Restructuring

Insight involves a cognitive restructuring of a problem.

Characteristics of Insight Solutions

Solutions gained through insight are sudden and complete, error-free, retained well, and transferable to similar problems (transposition).

Impact of Wolfgang Köhler

Provided empirical support for cognitive processes in learning; challenged behaviorist learning theory.

Kurt Koffka

Spreading Gestalt psychology in the U.S.; author of Principles of Gestalt Psychology.

Whole Experience in Perception

Perception should be viewed as a whole experience, not parts.

Functional Meaning of Stimuli

Stimuli should be interpreted with respect to their functional meaning in a perceptive field.

Mind-Body Relationships

Must be rethought in terms of Gestalt perception.

Impact of Kurt Koffka

Clarified and systematized Gestalt theory; helped introduce Gestalt psychology to the English-speaking world.

Kurt Lewin

Expanding Gestalt theory into motivation, personality, and group dynamics; Field Theory.

Dynamic Psychological Field

Behavior results from interactions within a dynamic psychological field ('life space').

Components of Life Space

Includes internal (e.g., hunger), external (e.g., location), and past events (e.g., memories).

Types of Conflict

Identified three conflict types: Approach-Approach, Avoidance-Avoidance, and Approach-Avoidance.

Impact of Kurt Lewin

Pioneered social psychology and the study of human motivation using Gestalt principles.

Bluma Zeigarnik

Known for Zeigarnik Effect — people remember unfinished tasks better than completed ones.

Zeigarnik Effect

Unfinished tasks create mental tension, which keeps them more accessible in memory.

Impact of Bluma Zeigarnik

Early contributor to memory and motivation research; her effect influenced studies in cognitive psychology and advertising.

Leon Festinger

Known for Theory of Cognitive Dissonance.

Cognitive Dissonance

Dissonance occurs when actions and beliefs conflict, causing psychological discomfort.

Motivation to Reduce Dissonance

People are motivated to reduce dissonance by changing beliefs or justifying actions.

Social Support in Belief Failure

In cases of belief failure (e.g., failed prophecy), social support helps maintain belief.

Impact of Leon Festinger

Provided a foundational theory for attitude change, motivation, and decision-making; heavily influenced modern cognitive and social psychology.

Core Ideology of Gestalt Psychology

Holism: The mind actively organizes sensory input into structured wholes.

Opposition to Reductionism

Against Wundt's elementism, Titchener's structuralism, and behaviorist S-R models.

Perception vs. Sensation

Reality is shaped by perception, not raw sensory input alone.

Central Theme of Gestalt Psychology

'The whole is different from the sum of its parts.'