Learning Principles

Fall 1997 

Module 2 -- Gestalt Psychology  

Learning Objectives 

• Discuss the historical time-period and context of the early Gestalt movement.
• Compare and contrast briefly behaviorism and Gestalt psychology.
• Describe at least four basic assumptions that drive Gestalt theory.
• Define the Law of Pragnanz and a series of related laws.
• Describe the insight experience and offer approaches to foster insight in educational settings.
• Describe learning problems associated with transfer of learning, functional fixedness, and problem sets.

Content Overview 

• "Seeing is believing?" A Presentation

Practice 

• Please click on the blue ball icon to go to the practice problem #1 and #2. 

Links to Resources 

• Five Laws Governing Human Perception (link from the work of M. Kato, Graphic Designer)
• Gestalt Related Resources
• Perception (link from the work of Dr. Wong-Wylie, University of Alberta)

Homework 

Read the brief narrative below and then, respond to the following questions at the end. Send your responses to me via e-mail.

According to a Gestalt theorist named Wallas (1926), the problem solving process consists of a series of four distinct, fixed stages:

• Preparation. The solver recognizes that a problem exists, and makes some rudimentary attempts to interpret and solve it.

  Incubation. Following failure of preliminary problem-solving attempts, solver puts aside the problem, no longer consciously working on it. Unconsciously, he/she continues to work on the solution.

  Illumination. The solver's incubation period ends with a flash of insight that brings the solution from the unconscious level to the conscious level of thought.

  Verification. The solver confirms the insight by checking its validity.

  Source: Wallas, G. (1926). The art of thought. New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich.

Questions

• (a) Which of these problem-solving operations seems useful?

  (b) Which of these operations have you personally used to solve a problem? Give one or more examples.

  (c) Is this process universal? That is, would this sequence of problem-solving operations be appropriate for all problem-solving situations?

  (d) What do you think about the Gestalt idea of unconscious thought? Can this be measured?

  (e) Do you think the discrete discontinuous nature of these problem-solving stages reflects your problem solving process? Explain.

Communication 

E-mail the instructor

Connect to the class bulletin board

Connect to the class mail list

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