AP Psych ch. 4: part 7

gestalt psychology

from the raw material of stimulation, the brain forms a perceptual whole that is more than the sum of its sensory parts; gestalt comes the german word meaning "whole, or "form" ro "configuration"

law of continuity

gestalt principle that we prefer perceptions of connected and continuous figures to diconnected and disjointed ones

law of proximity

gestalt principle that we tend to group objects together when they are near each other

law of similarity

gestalt principle that we tend to group similar objects

law of common fate

gestalt principle that we tend to group similar objects that share a common movement or destination

law of pragnanz

states that the simplest organization requiring the least cognitive effort will emerge as the figure; aka the minimum principle of perception

closure

the gestalt principle that identifies the tendency to fill in gaps in figures and to see incomplete figures as complete

laws of perceptual grouping

the gestalt principles of similarity, proximity, continuity,and common fate; the "laws" suggest how our brains prefer to group stimulus elements together to form a percept

figure

the part of a pattern that commands attention; stands out against the ground

ground

the part of a pattern that does not command attention; the background