Page 37 - History of Psychology

Chapter

Gestalt 10

Psychology

Gestalt psychology began with the development of the writings of Max
Wertheimer, Wolfgang Kohler and Kurt Koffka. In the early 20th century, all three
are educated in an exciting intellectual atmosphere, but eventually must escape
the Nazi empire and immigrate to America. Gestalt psychology was a German
movement that directly opposed Wundt's structural psychology. The views of the
three figures who became the forerunners of Gestalt psychology are as follows:

Max Wertheimer (1880-1943) was born in Prague and was educated at Charles
University. He began his first experiments on visible motion. Koffka and Kohler
became the subject of his experiments and produced what he called the illusion of
"phenomenology" and in 1912 published "Experimental Studies of the Perception
of Movement". These findings marked the beginning of the officialization of
Gestalt psychology. Wertheimer argued that the subjective experience of
movement is the result of dynamic interactions between the observer and the
stimuli. While in America, he interacted with psychologists in America, Wertheimer
expanded the scope of Gestalt principles from perceptual problems to thought
processes. Where in his last idea about cognitive psychology it becomes a guide to

facilitate the development of various creative strategies in problem solving. He
eventually became an inspiring force for the Gestalt movement in America.

Wolfgang Kohler (1887-1967) is the most systematic figure among the earlier
Gestalt psychology figures. Born in Reval, near the East Prussian Baltic Sea. Kohler
studied at various universities and finally collaborated with Wertheimer in
Frankfurt. He used chimpanzees as research subjects and discovered and
developed innovative approaches to his studies of discrimination learning and
problem solving. He further found that chimpanzees use the strategy of
inspiration (insight) in solving puzzles rather than just using trial and error (trial
and error). Even the brightest chimpanzees show the ability to easily switch
between strategies for problem solving. Kohler's book is historically important in
this movement because it provides specific examples of the many principles of
mental organization that underlie Gestalt psychology.

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