AP PSYCHOLOGY

PSYCHOLOGYS HISTORY APPROACHES

PSYCHOLOGY AND ITS HISTORY

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
What are Gestalt psychologists focused on?
A
How patterns are greater than the sum of its parts
B
the unconscious mind
C
observeable behavior
D
how society effects individual behavior
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Gestalt theory emphasizes that the whole of anything is greater than its parts. That is, the attributes of the whole are not deducible from analysis of the parts in isolation. The word Gestalt is used in modern German to mean the way a thing has been “placed, ” or “put together.” There is no exact equivalent in English.

Detailed explanation-2: -Gestalt psychologists emphasize that organisms perceive entire patterns or configurations, not merely individual components. The view is sometimes summarized using the adage, “the whole is more than the sum of its parts.” Gestalt psychology was founded on works by Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Köhler, and Kurt Koffka.

Detailed explanation-3: -Essentially, Gestalt psychology argues that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. That means that one cannot understand the parts of something to understand the thing as whole. The word “Gestalt” is German, and it means the way the thing has been put together.

Detailed explanation-4: -In the simplest terms, gestalt theory is based on the idea that the human brain will attempt to simplify and organize complex images or designs that consist of many elements, by subconsciously arranging the parts into an organized system that creates a whole, rather than just a series of disparate elements.

Detailed explanation-5: -Gestalt principles such as figure-ground relationship, grouping by proximity or similarity, the law of good continuation, and closure are all used to help explain how we organize sensory information. Our perceptions are not infallible, and they can be influenced by bias, prejudice, and other factors.

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