theories in visual perceptions: gestalt

7/21/2019 Theories in Visual perceptions: Gestalt

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Structuralism:Perception results from the association

of basic sensory atoms in memory viarepeated, prior joint occurrences.

Derived from philosophy ofBritish Empiricists (e.g., Locke,Berkeley, Hume, and Mills).

Proposed by Wilhelm Wundt,the father of modern Psychology.



Sensation vs. Perception



• More to perception than meets the eye

– Perception goes beyond the sensory elements

– Elements can be put together in ways other than justmechanical association; perception is not passive

– These elements are only physical data coming to thesense organs, where the mind codes and interprets

them



The phi phenomenon:

A challenge to Wundtian psychology

• Wertheimer's 1910 research

– Research idea

• Idea came to him while riding a train

• Apparent movement:

– Why do we see movement when no actual physical

motion occurs?

• Stroboscope



The phi phenomenon:

A challenge to Wundtian psychology

• Stimulus: two points of light being flashedsequentially

• Wundt’s prediction: – perception of two successive points of light

• Reality: – the perception was of a moving light when in fact the lights were

not moving

• Presented a challenge that the associationistic, elementisticpsychology of Wundt could not meet



Illusory contours



Bistable

figures



• Size Constancy

– Tendency to view an object as constant in

size despite changes in the size of theretinal image.



Gestalt psychology or gestaltism (German: Gestalt "shape, form") is a theory of mind of

the Berlin School. The central principle of gestalt psychology is that the mind forms a global

whole with self-organizing tendencies. This principle maintains that the human mindconsiders objects in their entirety before, or in parallel with, perception of their individual

parts; suggesting the whole is other than the sum of its parts. Gestalt psychology tries to

understand the laws of our ability to acquire and maintain meaningful perceptions in an

apparently chaotic world.

In the domain of perception, Gestalt psychologists stipulate that perceptions are the

products of complex interactions among various stimuli. Contrary tothe behaviorist approach to understanding the elements of cognitive processes, gestalt

psychologists sought to understand their organization (Carlson and Heth, 2010). The gestalt

effect is the capability of our brain to generate whole forms, particularly with respect to

the visual recognition of global figures instead of just collections of simpler and unrelated

elements (points, lines, curves...).

In psychology, gestaltism is often opposed to structuralism. The phrase The whole is otherthan the sum of the parts is often used when explaining gestalt theory, though there is a

common mistranslation of Kurt Koffka's original phrase to "The whole is greater than the

sum of the parts".Gestalt theory allows for the breakup of elements from the whole

situation into what it really is

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_language

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_School_of_experimental_psychology

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holism


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perception

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behaviorist

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structuralism_(psychology)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structuralism_(psychology)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behaviorist

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perception



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_School_of_experimental_psychology

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_language



Gestaltism:Perception results from the interaction

between the intrinsic structure of the stimulus

and the intrinsic structure of the brain.

MaxWertheimer

WolfgangKöhler

KurtKoffka



Principles of

Perceptual Organization

• We perceive wholes, not clusters ofsensations

– Elements interact to create a “new” whole• The who le is di f ferent from the sum of i ts

parts

– Underlying premise:

• Perceptual organization occurs instantly and isinevitable

– Organizing principles not dependent on:

• higher mental processes

• past experience



Gestalt Principles of Visual Perception

Gestalt – Movement in experimental psychology which

began prior to WWI.

We perceive objects as well-organized patterns ratherthan separate components.

“The whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts.”

Based on the concept of “grouping”.




Three Main Principles:

Grouping (proximity, similarity,continuity, closure)

Goodness of figures

Figure/ground relationships




Grouping:

Law of Proximity




Grouping:

Law of Similarity




Grouping:

: Law of Similarity: Shape, Scale, Color




Law of Good Continuation, or

Continuity

Objects arranged in either a straight line

or a smooth curve tend to be seen as a

unit.




Law of Closure

http://daphne.palomar.edu



Related to principle of good continuation,

there is a tendency to close simplefigures, independent of continuity orsimilarity.This results in a effect of filling in missinginformation or organising informationwhich is present to make a whole

In the circle at the top its seen easily.

In the other to figures it's a little morecomplex. The second figure can be readas two overlapping rectangles (thegestalt) whereas it can also be seen as

three shapes touching; a square and twoother irregular shapes.

The final shape can be seen as a curve joining three squares or as three unevenshapes touching




Law of Common Fate




Goodness of Figure, or the Law of Pragnanz

(Pragnanz is German for Pregnant, but in the sense of pregnant

with meaning, not with child!)




Figure/Ground relationships

Figure – seen as the foreground

Ground – seen as the background

Contours – “belong” to the figure




Reversible Figure/Ground

relationship





relationship

Can be affected by the principle

of smallness:

Smaller areas tend to be seen asfigures against a larger

background.





Relationship:

Tessellation – interlocking

figure/ground

M.C. Escher



• Failing to dividefigure from ground



“Why do things looks as they do?”

-- Kurt Koffka (1935)




Gestalt laws of Grouping organize the visual

scene into units

The Law of Pragnanz, or Goodness of Figurecreates the simplest most meaningful pattern

Figure/Ground relationships define important

parts of the scene



Contributions of Gestalt psychology

• Permanent imprint on psychology

– Influenced work in perception, learning, thinking,

personality, social psychology, and motivation

• Retained its identity, not absorbed by the

mainstream as was behaviorism

• Broke ground for cognitive movement

• Fostered interest in consciousness as a legitimate

problem for psychology

theories in visual perceptions: gestalt

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