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Gestalt Psychology

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Gestalt Psychology
Amber Havener
PSY 310
October 14, 2014
K. Hathaway

Gestalt Psychology
Early development of psychology have been traced back to the initial idea of Wundt and later on elaborated on by Titchener. Gestalt psychology focused primarily on the nature of Wundt’s work. Gestalt approached Wundt’s ideas with complete opposition. Wolfgang Kohler, psychological facts consist of unrelated inert atoms…thus introduce action are association”.
Early influences of Gestalt psychology consist of many different elements. Such as, Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) he has implied that when we see what we call objects we come in contact with mental states that are composed of bits and pieces. To Kant these elements are organized in the mind the process of perceiving will occur or a creation of a whole experience. Perception is not a combination of sensory elements, but more an active organizing of elements into a coherent experience. The mind gives shape to the raw, uncut data of perception.
Fraz Brentano proposed that psychology was studying the act of experiencing. Brentano opposed Wundt’s interest on the elements of conscious experience, he thought that Wundt’s introspection was a more direct observation of an experience that occurred. Ernst ach pushed for a more direct influence on Gestalt psychology. Mach was more interested in geometric figures and patterns, such as, melodies. An example of this would the space form of a circle. Even if the space form of the circle was black or white, big or small, it will retain its quality of circularity. Mach explained that ones perception of an object does not change based on where the individual is looking at the object from. A chair is still going to be a chair whether one views it from the top, side, front, or back. Just as, a tune remains a tune whether it is played slowly or sped

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