In other words, we perceive movement where there is none.
The reality is that two separate lights are blinking rapidly without moving at all.
Other psychologists also had an influence on this school of psychology.
Emily Roberts / Verywell
He also studied hearing and looked atproblem-solvingabilities in chimpanzees.
Kurt Koffka: Together with Wertheimer and Kohler, Koffka is considered a founder of the field.
Koffka played a key role in bringing Gestalt principles to the United States.
It is also heavily influenced by ourmotivationsandexpectations.
Wertheimer created principles to explain how Gestalt perception functions.
Among these factors are our past experiences, current environment, thoughts, feelings, and needs.
Gestalt therapy involves key concepts such asawareness, unfinished business, and personal responsibility.
The main goal of Gestalt therapy is to help usfocus on the present.
The therapeutic process is reliant on therelationship between the client and therapist.
Design
Beginning in the 1920s, designers began incorporating Gestalt principles in their work.
Consumers tend to like products that follow Gestalt principles.
This influence can be seen in the appearance of the products themselves and in their packaging and advertising.
We can also see Gestalt principles at work inappsand digital products.
Concepts like proximity, similarity, and continuity have become standards of our expected user experience.
Learning and Education
The Gestalt Theory of Learning relies on the law of simplicity.
In simple terms, it states that each learning stimulus is perceived in its simplest form.
Researchers likeKurt Lewinand Kurt Goldstein were influenced by Gestalt concepts before going on to make important contributions to psychology.
The Takeaway
Gestalt therapy continues as an effective tool for psychologists today.
]Wolfgang Kohler and Kurt Koffka are also considered co-founders of the Gestalt theory.
Pragnanz is another Gestalt principle and says that we tend to perceive complex things in their most simple form.
Pragnanz is sometimes referred to as the law of simplicity, a concept that was first presented in 1914.
Gestalt psychology has influenced how we study perception and sensation.
It also increases our understanding of how our cognitive processes influence the way we behave socially.
Some therapists use Gestalt psychology to help patients focus on the present over the past.
Educators may also use Gestalt principles to help their students learn.
Jakel F, Singh M, Wichmann FA, Herzog MH.An overview of quantitative approaches in Gestalt perception.Vis Res.
2014;17(2):134-48. doi:10.1037/a0036159
Wagemans J.Historical and conceptual background: Gestalt theory.
In: Wagemans J, ed.,The Oxford Handbook of Perceptual Organization.
Conceptual and theoretical foundations.Psychol Bull.
doi:10.1002/9781118323410.ch2
Raffagnino R.Gestalt therapy effectiveness: A systematic review of empirical evidence.Open J Soc Sci.
2017;3:E11.
doi:10.1017/dsj.2017.12
Liang Y.utility of Gestalt psychology in product human-machine interface design.IOP Conf Series: Materials Sci Engineer.
2018;392:062054. doi:10.1088/1757-899X/392/6/062054
Lee C.Instructional design models and theories: The Gestalt psychology of learning.
Britannica.Max Wertheimer: Czech psychologist.
Koenderink J, van Doorn A, Pinna B.Measures ofPragnanz?Gestalt Theory.
2018;40(1):7-28. doi:10.2478/gth-2018-0002
