WHAT DO YOU SEE?

HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO FIGURE OUT THE

PICTURE?
GESTALT
PSYCHOLOGY
KAIRA A. PEREZ
JERWIN ARNAIZ
JERALD GABRIZA
CHART
WHAT IS GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY?

Gestalt /guh-stalt/ psychology is a school of thought that looks at the human mind
and behavior as a whole. When trying to make sense of the world around us, Gestalt
psychology suggests that we do not simply focus on every small component. Instead,
our minds tend to perceive objects as elements of more complex systems.
A core belief in Gestalt psychology is holism, or that the whole is greater than the sum
of its parts. This school of psychology has played a major role in the modern
development of the study of human sensation and perception.
EXAMPLES:
 HISTORY OF GESTALT
PSYCHOLOGY
Originating in the work of Max Wertheimer, Gestalt
psychology formed in part as a response to the
structuralism of Wilhelm Wundt.

While followers of structuralism were interested in

breaking down psychological matters into their smallest
possible parts, Gestalt psychologists wanted instead to look
at the totality of the mind and behavior. Guided by the
principle of holism, Wertheimer and his followers
identified instances where perception was based on seeing
things as a complete whole, not as separate components.
HISTORY OF GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY
• Wertheimer developed Gestalt psychology after observing what
he called the phi phenomenon while watching alternating lights
on a railway signal. The phi phenomenon is an optical illusion
where two stationary objects seem to move if they are shown
appearing and disappearing in rapid succession. In other words,
we perceive movement where there is none.
• Based on his observations of the phi phenomenon, Wertheimer
concluded that we perceive things by seeing the whole
perception, not by understanding individual parts. In the
example of blinking lights at a train station, the whole we
perceive is that one light appears to move quickly between two
points. The reality is that two separate lights are blinking rapidly
without moving at all.
GESTALT THEORY

• Gestalt theory is a theory that highlights sensory wholes (5 senses) and the dynamic aspect
of visual perception as a cognitive reaction to behavior. Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang
Kohler, and Kurt Koffka concluded that students actively analyze and restructure
information in order to make sense of it. The perception process can be influenced by a
variety of factors, including needs, attitudes, and the circumstances of the moment. This
emphasizes the significance of sensory wholes in comprehending behavior.
• One may have difficulty perceiving both the words "you" and "me" in the first picture in
the activity if one is trying to forget an ex-sweetheart who caused pain; or simply because
he was looking at the foreground and not the background. 
PRINCIPLES OF GESTALT
PSYCHOLOGY
KAIRA A. PEREZ
JERWIN ARNAIZ
JERALD GABRIZA
PRINCIPLES OF GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY

• Gestalt psychology helped introduce Law Of Prägnanz: The stimulus will be

the idea that human perception is not
just about seeing what is actually
present in the world around us. It is
also heavily influenced by our
motivations and expectations.
organized into as good a figure as possible.
In this example, good refers to symmetry,
simplicity and regularity. Based on our
experiences with perception, we "expect"
certain patterns and therefore perceive that
expected pattern.

• Wertheimer created principles to

explain how Gestalt perception
functions. Some of the most important
principles of Gestalt theory are:
PRINCIPLES OF GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY

• Law of Proximity: Elements that are

closer together will be perceived as a
coherent object than elements that are
further apart.
• Law of Similarity: Elements that look
similar will be perceived as part of the
same form. We link similar elements
together
PRINCIPLES OF GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY

• 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.
INSIGHT LEARNING
KAIRA A. PEREZ
JERWIN ARNAIZ
JERALD GABRIZA
WHAT IS INSIGHT LEARNING?

• Insight learning, developed by Wolfgang Kohler, is a theory that suggests learning occurs
through discovery or insight. He discovered that after conducting several experiments
with his apes, the key to learning was not reinforcement but the coordination of thinking
to create new organizations. Kohler believed that insight follows from the characteristics
of objects and can occur without reinforcement, without the need for review, training, or
investigation. This behavior is not necessarily observable by another person.
TO SUM EVERYTHING UP

Gestalt psychology emphasizes the impact of inner and outer forces on an

individual's perceptions and learning. It focuses on the life space of teachers
and students, recognizing the complexity of experiences and recognizing the
affections and meaning attached to learning. The theory views knowledge as a
continuous organization and rearrangement of information, asserting that
learning is not accumulation but remodeling or insight. It values the authentic
contact between teachers and students, promoting shared ideas and affections.
THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING!
KAIRA A. PEREZ
JERWIN ARNAIZ
JERALD GABRIZA