MODULE 9

GESTALT
PSYCHOLOGY
 GESALT
PSYCHOLOGY

GESTALT INSIGHT LIFESPACE

PRINCIPLE LEARNING (LEWIN)
LAW OF INNER
PROXIMITY FORCES

LAW OF INNER
CLOSURE FORCES

LAW OF GOOD
CONTINUATION

LAW OF GOOD
PRAGNANZ
LAW OF
FIGURE/
GROUND
 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
MAX WERTHEIMER
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 WOLFGANG KOHLER

like experiences, needs, attitudes and one’s present situation can

affect their perception.

KURT KOFFKA
 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
• Law of Similarity
• Law of Closure
• Law of Good Continuation
• Law of Pragnanz
• Law of Figure/Ground
Gestalt Principles

Law of proximity. Elements that are

closer together will be perceived as a
coherent object. On the left, there appears
to be two columns, while on the right
there appears to be three horizontal rows.
When objects we are perceiving near each
other, we perceived them as belonging
together
 Gestalt Principles

Law of similarity. Elements that look similar

will be perceived as part of the same form.
Gestalt Principles

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.
 Gestalt Principles

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.
Gestalt Principles
Law of 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.
 Gestalt Principles

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.
Insight Learning

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.
Insight 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 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.

Kurt Lewin