Gestalt Overview
Some of the earliest research on the nature of visual perception was conducted in 1920s Germany by the Gestalt psychologists, including Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, and Wolfgang Kohler.
While Gestalt psychology is usually applied to visual images, it also pertains to words, numbers, and texts. Sentences and mathematical theorems could not be understood if they were perceived as a series of separate parts (Katz, 1950, p. 38). In fact, our minds automatically seek to make sensible wholes out of random strings of words, such as Noam Chomsky’s “Colorless green dreams sleep furiously.” We also rely on patterns in order to read and make sense of newspapers, tables, and other texts.
While Gestalt psychology is usually applied to visual images, it also pertains to words, numbers, and texts. Sentences and mathematical theorems could not be understood if they were perceived as a series of separate parts (Katz, 1950, p. 38). In fact, our minds automatically seek to make sensible wholes out of random strings of words, such as Noam Chomsky’s “Colorless green dreams sleep furiously.” We also rely on patterns in order to read and make sense of newspapers, tables, and other texts.
For a brief overview of the five main laws of gestalt simple click on the play button below.