A century of Gestalt psychology in visual perception: II. Conceptual and theoretical foundations

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dc.citation.firstpage1218
dc.citation.issueNumber6
dc.citation.journalTitlePsychological Bulletin
dc.citation.lastpage1252
dc.citation.volumeNumber138
dc.contributor.authorWagemans, Johan
dc.contributor.authorFeldman, Jacob
dc.contributor.authorGepshtein, Sergei
dc.contributor.authorKimchi, Ruth
dc.contributor.authorPomerantz, James R.
dc.contributor.authorvan der Helm, Peter A.
dc.contributor.authorvan Leeuwen, Cees
dc.date.accessioned2017-08-02T14:52:14Z
dc.date.available2017-08-02T14:52:14Z
dc.date.issued2012
dc.description.abstractOur first review article (Wagemans et al., 2012) on the occasion of the centennial anniversary of Gestalt psychology focused on perceptual grouping and figure-ground organization. It concluded that further progress requires a reconsideration of the conceptual and theoretical foundations of the Gestalt approach, which is provided here. In particular, we review contemporary formulations of holism within an information-processing framework, allowing for operational definitions (e.g., integral dimensions, emergent features, configural superiority, global precedence, primacy of holistic/configural properties) and a refined understanding of its psychological implications (e.g., at the level of attention, perception, and decision). We also review 4 lines of theoretical progress regarding the law of Prägnanz-the brain's tendency of being attracted towards states corresponding to the simplest possible organization, given the available stimulation. The first considers the brain as a complex adaptive system and explains how self-organization solves the conundrum of trading between robustness and flexibility of perceptual states. The second specifies the economy principle in terms of optimization of neural resources, showing that elementary sensors working independently to minimize uncertainty can respond optimally at the system level. The third considers how Gestalt percepts (e.g., groups, objects) are optimal given the available stimulation, with optimality specified in Bayesian terms. Fourth, structural information theory explains how a Gestaltist visual system that focuses on internal coding efficiency yields external veridicality as a side effect. To answer the fundamental question of why things look as they do, a further synthesis of these complementary perspectives is required.
dc.identifier.citationWagemans, Johan, Feldman, Jacob, Gepshtein, Sergei, et al.. "A century of Gestalt psychology in visual perception: II. Conceptual and theoretical foundations." <i>Psychological Bulletin,</i> 138, no. 6 (2012) American Psychological Association: 1218-1252. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029334.
dc.identifier.digitalCentury_Gestalt_Psychology_Visual_Perception_II
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1037/a0029334
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/96160
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherAmerican Psychological Association
dc.rightsThis is an author's peer-reviewed final manuscript, as accepted by the publisher. The published article is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association.
dc.titleA century of Gestalt psychology in visual perception: II. Conceptual and theoretical foundations
dc.typeJournal article
dc.type.dcmiText
dc.type.publicationpost-print
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