PSYC 4600 - Exam 4 Questions With
Complete Answers
The motto of (or most famous quote from) Gestalt Psychology - ANSWER "The
whole is other than or radically different than the sum of its parts" - Kurt Kafka
Antecedent influences on Gestalt Psychology - ANSWER o Franz Brentano - Act
Psychology
o Carl Stumpf - Phenomenology
Who are the founders of Gestalt Psychology? - ANSWER o Max Wertheimer
o Kurt Kafka
o Wolfgang Kohler
Max Wertheimer's influence on future psychology - ANSWER o Originator of the
Psychological Research journal
o Reproductive vs Productive Thinking
o Influenced Abraham Maslow
o Phi Phenomenon and Beta Movement
Max Wertheimer's Reproductive Thinking - ANSWER Solving a problem based on
previous experiences or what is already known
Max Wertheimer's Productive Thinking - ANSWER Solving a problem with
insight, which means it was not planned or based on previous knowledge
Max Wertheimer's influence on apparent motion - ANSWER Phi Phenomenon
Max Wertheimer's Phi Phenomenon - ANSWER Apparent movement of a pulse
caused by a series of still images (Lilac Chaser)
Max Wertheimer's Beta Movement - ANSWER Apparent movement of an object
caused by a series of still images. Foundation for cinematic movement (film)
The foundation of cinematic movement (film) - ANSWER Max Wertheimer's Beta
Movement
Kurt Kafka's most important written works and their impact - ANSWER o
Perception Introduction to the Gestalt Theorie (1922): Summarized Gestalt
psychology in relation to perception. May have limited the field due to only
explaining one aspect.
, o Principles of Gestalt Psychology (1935): More detailed compared to article, but
still did not have a great impact.
What is Wolfgang Köhler best known for studying? - ANSWER o Canary Islands
(1913): Studied chimpanzees to see if they had some level of insight and found
evidence that there was.
o Einsicht (insight) tends to involve a sudden understanding of how to solve a
problem.
The Gestalt Psychology principle of perceptual constancy - ANSWER Involved a
quality of wholeness or completeness in perceptual experience that does not
change even when the sensory elements do change. When you walk around a
table and see it from different angles, you still know that it is the same table.
The Gestalt Psychology six principles of perceptual organization - ANSWER o
Proximity - Refers to parts that are close together in time or space appear to
belong together and thus tend to be perceived together
o Continuity - Refers to the tendency in our perception to follow a direction or to
connect the elements in some way
o Similarity - Refers to similar parts tending to be perceived together as a group
or as one
o Closure - Refers to the tendency in our perception to complete incomplete
figures or to fill in gaps
o Simplicity - The Law of Pragnanz. Refers to perceiving and interpreting
ambiguous or complex images as the simplest form(s) possible.
o Figure/Ground - Tending to organize perceptions into first the object being
looked at and then second the background against which it appears.
The concept of isomorphism - ANSWER The theory that there is a
correspondence between psychological experience and the underlying brain
activity
Kurt Lewin's authoritarian vs. democratic study - ANSWER o First time this was
studied.
o Authoritarian - There is a central leader who tells everyone what to do. Was
associated with more aggressive behaviors and conflict.
o Democratic - Some leadership, but it's more of a joint process and people
listen to each other. Boys tended to prefer the democratic form.
Kurt Lewin's group dynamics - ANSWER o Coined the term
o Led a series of workshops that formed the basis of sensitivity training which
has been extended to include prejudices and biases.
Kurt Lewin's field theory - ANSWER o Extended the concept of fields of force to
human behavior
Complete Answers
The motto of (or most famous quote from) Gestalt Psychology - ANSWER "The
whole is other than or radically different than the sum of its parts" - Kurt Kafka
Antecedent influences on Gestalt Psychology - ANSWER o Franz Brentano - Act
Psychology
o Carl Stumpf - Phenomenology
Who are the founders of Gestalt Psychology? - ANSWER o Max Wertheimer
o Kurt Kafka
o Wolfgang Kohler
Max Wertheimer's influence on future psychology - ANSWER o Originator of the
Psychological Research journal
o Reproductive vs Productive Thinking
o Influenced Abraham Maslow
o Phi Phenomenon and Beta Movement
Max Wertheimer's Reproductive Thinking - ANSWER Solving a problem based on
previous experiences or what is already known
Max Wertheimer's Productive Thinking - ANSWER Solving a problem with
insight, which means it was not planned or based on previous knowledge
Max Wertheimer's influence on apparent motion - ANSWER Phi Phenomenon
Max Wertheimer's Phi Phenomenon - ANSWER Apparent movement of a pulse
caused by a series of still images (Lilac Chaser)
Max Wertheimer's Beta Movement - ANSWER Apparent movement of an object
caused by a series of still images. Foundation for cinematic movement (film)
The foundation of cinematic movement (film) - ANSWER Max Wertheimer's Beta
Movement
Kurt Kafka's most important written works and their impact - ANSWER o
Perception Introduction to the Gestalt Theorie (1922): Summarized Gestalt
psychology in relation to perception. May have limited the field due to only
explaining one aspect.
, o Principles of Gestalt Psychology (1935): More detailed compared to article, but
still did not have a great impact.
What is Wolfgang Köhler best known for studying? - ANSWER o Canary Islands
(1913): Studied chimpanzees to see if they had some level of insight and found
evidence that there was.
o Einsicht (insight) tends to involve a sudden understanding of how to solve a
problem.
The Gestalt Psychology principle of perceptual constancy - ANSWER Involved a
quality of wholeness or completeness in perceptual experience that does not
change even when the sensory elements do change. When you walk around a
table and see it from different angles, you still know that it is the same table.
The Gestalt Psychology six principles of perceptual organization - ANSWER o
Proximity - Refers to parts that are close together in time or space appear to
belong together and thus tend to be perceived together
o Continuity - Refers to the tendency in our perception to follow a direction or to
connect the elements in some way
o Similarity - Refers to similar parts tending to be perceived together as a group
or as one
o Closure - Refers to the tendency in our perception to complete incomplete
figures or to fill in gaps
o Simplicity - The Law of Pragnanz. Refers to perceiving and interpreting
ambiguous or complex images as the simplest form(s) possible.
o Figure/Ground - Tending to organize perceptions into first the object being
looked at and then second the background against which it appears.
The concept of isomorphism - ANSWER The theory that there is a
correspondence between psychological experience and the underlying brain
activity
Kurt Lewin's authoritarian vs. democratic study - ANSWER o First time this was
studied.
o Authoritarian - There is a central leader who tells everyone what to do. Was
associated with more aggressive behaviors and conflict.
o Democratic - Some leadership, but it's more of a joint process and people
listen to each other. Boys tended to prefer the democratic form.
Kurt Lewin's group dynamics - ANSWER o Coined the term
o Led a series of workshops that formed the basis of sensitivity training which
has been extended to include prejudices and biases.
Kurt Lewin's field theory - ANSWER o Extended the concept of fields of force to
human behavior
