UNIT 3.

2 COGNITIVE
PERSPECTIVE
MODULE 9 GESTALT
PSYCHOLOGY
Gestalt theory was initial cognitive response to behaviorism. It
emphasized the importance of sensory wholes and the
dynamic nature of visual perception. The term gestalt means
"form" or "configuration. "Psychologists Max Wertheimer,
Wolfgang Kohler and Kurt Koffka studied perception and
concluded that perceivers (or learners) are not passive, but
rather active. They suggest that learners do not just collect
information as is but they actively process and restructure
data in order to understand it. This is the perceptual process.
Certain factors impact on this perceptual process. Factors like
experiences, needs, attitudes and one's present situation can
affect their perception.
Max Wertheimer

Wolfgang Kohler

Kurt Lewin
According to the Gestalt psychologists, the way we form our
perceptions are guided by certain principles or laws determine what
we see or make of things or situations we meet.

Law of Proximity
Elements that are closer together will be perceived as a coherent object. On the
left, there appears to be three columns, while on the right, there appears to be
three horizontal rows. When objects we are perceiving are near each other, we
perceive them as belonging together.

Law of Similarity
Elements that look similar will be perceived as part of the same form. There seems
to be a triangle in the square. We link similar elements together

Law of Closure
We tend to fill the gaps or "close" the figures we perceive. We enclose a space by
completing a contour and ignoring gaps in the figure.
Law of Good Continuation
Individuals have the tendency to continue contours whenever the elements
of the pattern establish an implied direction. People tend to draw a good
continuous line.

Law of Good Pragnanz

The stimulus will be organized into as good a figure as possible. In this
example, good refers to symmetry, simplicity and regularity. The figure is
perceived as a square overlapping a triangle, not a combination of several
complicated shapes. Based on our experiences with perception, we "expect"
certain patterns and therefore perceive that expected pattern.

Law of Figure/Ground
We tend to pay attention and perceive things in the foreground first. A
stimulus will be perceived as separate from its ground.
Insight Learning
Gestalt psychology adheres to the idea of learning taking place by
discovery or insight. The idea of insight learning was first developed by
Wolfgang Kohler in which he described experiments with apes where the
apes could use boxes and sticks as tools to solve problems. In the box
problem, a banana is attached to the top of a chimpanzee's cage. The
banana is out of reach but can be reached by climbing on and jumping
from a box.
In each of these problems, the important aspect of learning was not
reinforcement, but the coordination of thinking to create new
organization (of materials). Kohler referred to this behavior as insight or
discovery learning.
Kohler proposed the view that insight follows from the characteristics of
objects under consideration. His theory suggested that learning could occur
when the individual perceives the relationships of the elements before him and
recognizes these elements and comes to a greater understanding or insight. This
could occur without reinforcement, and once it occurs, no review, training or
investigation is necessary. Significantly, insight is not necessarily observable by
another person.
 Gestalt Principles and the
Teaching-Learning Process
The six gestalt principles not only influence perception but they
also impact on learning. Other psychologists like Kurt Lewin
expounded on Gestalt psychology. His theory focusing on "life
space" adheres to gestalt psychology. He said that an individual
has inner and outer forces that affect his perceptions and also
his learning. Inner forces include his own motivation, attitudes
Kurt Lewin
and feelings. Outer forces may include the attitude and behavior
of the teacher and classmates. All these forces interact and
impact on the person's learning. Mario Polito, an Italian
psychologist, writes about the relevance of Gestalt psychology
to education.