Gestalt Psychology

Chapter 12

Cognitive Psychology, Third Edition by Kathleen M. GalottiCopyright © 2004 by Wadsworth Publishing, a division of Thomson Learning

The Gestalt revolt

Around 1912…. Structuralism in waning, functionalism gaining

ground Watson begins attack on Wundt and Titchener (1912) People becoming aware of Thorndike’s and Pavlov’s

animal research Psychoanalysis 10 years old

In Germany… Gestalt revolt

Revolt against Wundt

The Gestalt revolt

A hypothetical debate: Describe what you see (on the table)

Wundt Consciousness made up of sensory elements

Gestaltists Consciousness can not be reduced to elements The whole is different from the sum of its parts.

More to perception than meets the eye Perception goes beyond the sensory elements

Elements can be put together in ways other than just mechanical association; perception is not passive

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

The Gestalt revolt

Sensation vs. Perception

Kassin, S. (2001). Psychology, third edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

James

Phenomenology A new introspective method:

Uncorrected observation (no trained observers)

Experience not analyzed into elements

The Gestalt revolt

Another important influence…

The changing zeitgeist in physics Physics moving away from atomism to fields

of force

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 http://courses.ncssm.edu/gallery/collections/toys/animations/cyclist/cyclist200.htm

The phi phenomenon: A challenge to Wundtian psychology

Stimulus: two points of light being flashed sequentially

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, elementistic psychology of Wundt could not meet

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0070579431/student_view0/chapter8/phi_phenomenon_activity.html

Illusory contours

http://www.sandlotscience.com/Guided_Tours/Tour3/images/Vanity72.jpg

Bistablefigures

1912: Wertheimer published results

Article indicates formal start of Gestalt school

1933: fled Germany

The phi phenomenon

Founders Wertheimer, Koffka, and Kohler – 1920s

“The whole differs from the sum of its parts”

Perception is not built up from sensations but is a result of perceptual organization

We use heuristics to make “best guesses” about the identity of stimuli

Gestalt Psychology

1922: article published in American journal “Perception” in title led to misunderstanding

that this was the sole interest of Gestaltists

Gestalt movement actually had a broader concern

Problems of thinking and learning and all aspects of conscious experience

Kurt Koffka (1886-1941)

Wolfgang Köhler (1887- 1967)

Spokesperson for school of thought Trained with Max Planck Studied chimpanzees 1935: left Germany due to anti-Nazi

activities Books became standard works of Gestalt

theory Suggested Gestalt theory as general law

of nature

Principles of Perceptual Organization

We perceive wholes, not clusters of sensations Elements interact to create a “new” whole

The whole is different from the sum of its parts

Underlying premise: Perceptual organization occurs instantly and is

inevitable Organizing principles not dependent on:

higher mental processes past experience

Size Constancy Tendency to view an object as constant in

size despite changes in the size of the retinal image.

Perceptual Constancies

http://www.psychologie.tu-dresden.de/i1/kaw/diverses%20Material/www.illusionworks.com/assets/images/constancy.jpg

Shape Constancy Tendency to see an object as keeping its

form despite changes in orientation.

Perceptual Constancies

Kassin, S. (2001). Psychology, third edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Similarity

Principles of Perceptual Organization

http://www.aber.ac.uk

Proximity

Principles of Perceptual Organization

http://graphicdesign.spokanefalls.edu/tutorials/process/gestaltprinciples/closure/closure_a.gif

Principles of Perceptual Organization

Closure

http://daphne.palomar.edu

Good continuation

http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~psyc351/Images/Wolfe-Fig-04-07-0.jpg

http://graphicdesign.spokanefalls.edu/tutorials/process/gestaltprinciples/continuation/continuation_a.gif

Principles of Perceptual Organization

Common fate

Principles of Perceptual Organization

http://www.tutkie.tut.ac.jp/~mich/humanmotion.gif

Principles of Perceptual Organization

Figure/Ground

http://graphicdesign.spokanefalls.edu/tutorials/process/gestaltprinciples/figure_ground/images/fig_grnd02.gif

Figure/Ground

Failing to divide figure from ground

http://www.apogeephoto.com/mag1-6/mag2-5mf1.jpg

The nature of the Gestalt revolt

Demanded complete revision of psychology

Support for new view Phi phenomena Perceptual constancy

Attempts at analysis destroy the perception or whole (Gestalt)

Gestalt studies of learning

Köhler: intelligence in apes

http://www.pigeon.psy.tufts.edu/psych26/images/kohler2.JPG

Gestalt studies of learning: insight and the mentality of apes

Solving the problem: Could the chimp see the “whole”

problem? Would proximity of objects influence

solution of problem? Insight

Spontaneous understanding of relationships

The spread of Gestalt psychology

Mid-1920’s (Germany) A coherent and dominant school in

Germany Attracting students from around the

world 1933 Nazi regime:

shift of Gestalt psychology to the United States

Slow acceptance in the united states Behaviorism was at its peak A language barrier Belief that Gestalt psychology dealt

solely with perception Wertheimer, Köhler, and Koffka at

small colleges without graduate programs, thus no graduate research assistants

The spread of Gestalt psychology

Slow acceptance in the united states Gestalt focus of protest (Wundt) no

longer of concern in U.S. The word “Gestalt”

Had no direct translation in English Therefore, purpose of movement not

obvious

The spread of Gestalt psychology

Both occurred independently of one another, but… both started by opposing Wundt’s

focus on sensory elements. Ended up opposing each other

Value of consciousness Gestalt psychologists

Accepted it Criticized attempt to reduce it to elements

Behavioral psychologists Refused it entirely

The Gestalt vs. the Behaviorism Revolutions

The battle with behaviorism Gestalt criticisms of its new target

Reductionistic and atomistic Deals with artificial abstractions (S-R units) Denies the validity of introspection Eliminates consciousness Would make psychology no more than a

collection of animal research

Conflicts between proponents of the two schools grew increasingly emotional and personal

Criticisms of Gestalt psychology

Organization of perceptual processes accepted as fact rather than studied scientifically

Basic concepts and terms are not defined with sufficient rigor

Too preoccupied with theory at the expense of research and empirical support

Quality of Gestalt experimental work is inferior to that of the behaviorists

Research lacks adequate controls Its unquantified data elude statistical analysis Insight learning: not replicable

Poorly defined physiological assumptions

Gestalt rebuttals

A young science’s explanation and definitions are necessarily incomplete; Gestalt research is exploratory

Incomplete is not the same vague Has from the beginning emphasized

experimentation Has engendered a considerable amount

of research Qualitative results take precedence over

quantitative ones

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