ACTIVITY #7

GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY

1. What are the different Gestalt Principles?

According to the Gestalt Theory, which is commonly known as the Law of
Simplicity, every stimulus is perceived by humans in its “most simple form”. The
main focus of the theory is “grouping” and the entire theory emphasizes on the
fact that the whole of anything is greater than the sum of its parts. Besides,
“gestalt” in German means the “shape of an entity’s complete form”. Thus, the
operational principle of the brain is holistic and has a self-organizing inclination.

The 4 Laws of Organization

The factors that determine the principle of “grouping” –also known as the “laws
of organization”- are the following:

1. Proximity
Elements are typically grouped together based on their immediacy
2. Similarity
Elements similar to one another tend to be grouped together
3. Closure
Elements are typically grouped together if they are a part of an entity
4. Simplicity
Elements should be organized into simplistic figures, based on their symmetry,
smoothness and regularity

The primary goal of the Gestalt Theory is to encourage the brain to view
not just the whole, but also the parts that make up that whole. For example, when
someone is looking at a tree, is he just staring at this tree, or does he also see the
leaves, the branches, and the trunk? The whole and the sum of its parts are two
entirely different things, and learning can be achieved if learners are able to
cognitively process how parts can make up this whole.
2. List ways of applying gestalt psychology in teaching and learning process.
 The main principles of the Gestalt Theory
The main principles of the Gestalt Theory in Learning are:
1. Teachers should encourage their students to discover the relationship of the
elements that make up a problem
2. Incongruities, gaps, or disturbances are essential stimuli in the learning
process
3. Educational instruction should be based on the Laws of Organization
In a learning environment, the Gestalt Theory applies to problem solving and
perception. However, it can be used in all aspects of education. A perfect example
was provided by Wertheimer himself, when he asked children to find the area of a
parallelogram. He suggested that, as long as parallelograms had a normal shape,
the children could apply the standard procedure in order to determine the area.
However, if the parallelogram had an irregular shape, children could not apply the
same logic or principles, but had to solve the problem by understanding the actual
structure of the shape.
3. Show examples, pictures or animes used in the teaching and learning process.