Page 38 - History of Psychology

Kurt Koffka (1886-1941) earned his doctorate at the University in Berlin. Koffka
introduced Gestalt psychology to the American public through his work entitled

"Perception: An Introduction to the Gestalt Theorie" in the Psychological Bulletin.
Although not as inspirational as Wertheimer and Kohler, he managed to spread the
teachings of the Gestalt movement to a large number of psychologists, especially
in the United States.

Basic Principles of Gestalt
Psychology Gestalt psychology focuses on human-environment interactions
called the perceptual field. The main characteristic of the perceptual field is that
organization has a natural tendency to be structured as a figure and setting. A
good figure is one that is complete, tends to be symmetrical, balanced and
proportional. Incomplete figures tend to be seen as complete and this
organizational characteristic is called closure. Organizational principles other than
closedness are proximity (proximity) and similarity (similarity). Organized figures
are stable and tend to maintain their stability as a structural whole regardless of
changes in stimulus characteristics, which in Gestalt theory is called object

constancy. Gestalt theory is confusing and has received criticism from some
parties is related to the explanation of brain activity that mediates perceptual
processes called isomorphism.

Discussion Questions

Summarize the disagreements that the Gestaltists had with Wundt's
experimental program, the structuralists and the behaviorists!
What is the phi phenomenon?

Time : 90 minutes

Methods : Presentation and Discussion

Material : https://bit.ly/3fpf1wh
Assigment : create a concept map of Gestalt theory

34