Perception: Process, Gestalt Laws, and Influencing Factors
Perception: Process and Principles
Perception is the process by which the subject selects, organizes, and interprets sensory stimuli from the environment. It is a cognitive process involving the organization and interpretation of data collected by our sensory organs. Feelings are an integral part of perception. Simpler contents include stimuli triggered by the external or internal environment (noise, odor, etc.).
Conditions: Perception is a complex reaction of the organism to simultaneous and successive stimulations. This reaction to the same stimuli depends on personality, habits, intellect, and emotions.
Gestalt Laws
Gestalt Law: Perception is the acquisition of all stimuli acting at a given time.
Laws of Perception:
- Principle of Organization: Perception is organized by the whole perceptual context.
- Principle of Prägnanz (Law of Good Figure or Simplicity) (Koffka): This summarizes previous laws; fitness, precision, symmetry, and simplicity are preferred.
- Law of Proximity: Elements close in space and time tend to be grouped perceptually.
- Law of Similarity: Stimuli similar in size, color, weight, or shape tend to be perceived as sets.
- Law of Good Continuation: Elements that form a continuous line or have a common orientation tend to be perceived as a totality.
- Law of Closure: If a figure is incomplete, the perceiver completes it mentally using previously known cognitive patterns.
- Law of Common Movement: Two or more objects moving in the same direction are perceived as a single object.
- Law of Experience: While Gestalt psychologists argue that configural laws are innate, experience also plays a role.
- Figure-Ground Law: We perceive a main figure and a background that contrasts with it. Ambiguous figures occur when there is no clear distinction.
Further Insights
Key Documents
- Francisco Varela: Movement by the nervous system (amoeba)
- Dalai Lama: Plant and fertilizer in the soil (movement)
- Varela: Sensory and motor component cell network (hydro)
Theory of Form
Theory of Form: Developed in the 1920s by Max Wertheimer, this theory countered associationist views. It emphasizes the importance of the whole shape (Gestalt):
- Objects and subjects are perceived as totalities.
- Object properties (size, color, sharpness, place, etc.) are not absolute but have significance according to their context.
- Principle of Isomorphism: Any form corresponds to a physiological form; there is an identity between the psychological and physiological structure.
New Look Theory
New Look Theory: Developed in the 20th century by Jerome Bruner and Leo Postman, this theory highlights the importance of the subject’s experience in perception. The subject and object are intertwined: There is a selection of stimuli related to our personality and interests (agency tuned).
The subject does not select average stimuli.
Perceptual Process and Influencing Factors
Perceptual Process: Stimuli → Sensory selection → Organization and interpretation → Behavioral response
Factors Influencing Perception: The characteristics of the perceived object and the context in which it is perceived.
Perception depends on: Stimulus clarity, familiarity, physical characteristics, needs, alertness, values, prior experiences, and sensory input.
Factors influencing the four principles: Stimulus selection, organization (figure-ground, grouping, delineation, categorization), location, and personal concept.
Personal characteristics affecting perception (perceiver): Attitudes, motives, interests, expectations, and prior experiences.
What is observed: Movement, sound, size, figure-ground, proximity, etc.
Situation and context: Influence attention and interpretation of objects.
Factors Creating Perceptual Difficulties
Factors that create perceptual difficulties: Selective perception (selecting stimuli that match expectations), Halo effect (bias based on a single trait), Projection (attributing one’s own characteristics to others), Stereotyping (judging based on group membership), Contrast effect (comparing performance to others), and Perceptual defense (rejecting stimuli that cause anxiety, fear, or discomfort).