Perceptions and the Brain

I’ve often wondered how two or more siblings can grow up in the same household, yet when you ask them how it was growing up, you’ll likely get a few different versions of their home life. I first witnessed this with my mother and her brother. They both grew up in the same home in the Bronx in New York. When you ask them what their home was like, you would think they grew up in different homes. I suppose this is where perception and psychology enters the brain process and quite possibly the evolution of the Gestalt Theory of perception.

Over the course of the week, we explored how the brain processes information. My take away from the studies led me to concur that in order to be effective, it’s crucial for a trainer and designer to have some knowledge of how the brain processes information.

One of the theories we reviewed was the Gestalt Theory. I must have read these few pages in our text Learning Theories and Instruction, (Ormrod, Shunk, Gredlier, 2009) no less than five times to understand the gist of this theory. Like a brick, it hit me, it’s all about perception! Our mind is a mysterious piece of work and many researchers have stated that we barely scraped the surface of how our brain operates.

The Gestalt Theory spawned its origin from a small group of psychologists in the early twentieth-century Germany (Ormrod, Shunk, Gredlier, 2009) and is mostly credited to Max Werthheimer’s article on apparent motion written in 1912. Gestalt is actually a German word that essentially means “unified whole”. The idea behind the Gestalt theory is that our mind perceives visually perceives shapes or configurations in wholes rather the sum of parts. We have the uncanny ability to complete what might initially appear incomplete. Gestalt is based on specific theories, below are a few of the main theories that explain how our brain uses perception based on these studies.

The principle of figure-ground relation. As an example, from a distance, a shape such as a tree might appear very small as it blends into the foreground. As you get closer, you realize the tree is rather large and no longer blended into the foreground.

The principle of proximity is based on the perception that items that are close together are grouped, when in fact they may be separate elements and have no specific relation at all. An example might be bunch of circles in no apparent shape are just circles. But, when grouped so close together in the shape of a tree, they are no longer just circles, instead they formed a tree.

The principle of similarity states that elements that appear to have similarity in size, shapes, color, texture, etc., we tend to view as belonging together. Other Gestalt Theory principles include common direction, simplicity and closure.

From an instruction perspective, having some understanding of Gestalt aids the designer to keep in mind that perceptions are powerful. We have tendency to create or complete what does not necessarily exist to fulfill our own expectations.  The designer needs to be clear of the meaning of the information or it can become misconstrued through Gestalt. Learning is a cognitive phenomenon involving  reorganizing experiences into different perceptions of things, people, or events (Koffka, 1922, 1926). Apparently our prior knowledge and experiences looks for answers and solutions to obtain meaning through organization of information.

The brain is phenominal and often compared to the processing of a computer. However, a computer is linear in it's processing and only as smart as the information it's fed. As humans we are able to process in linear and non-linear, which gives us "think" power and to see things in dimensions.

On the surface, instructors, facilitators and designers might nix the theory believing that it makes sense in the field of psychology, but doesn't fit into a classroom. In my personal opinion, Gestalt has a strong presence in the classroom because learning is psychology in its grandest form. As training professionals, we are forming people's minds by opening up expression, ideas, and think. We help others form conclusions and convince them that they have the ability to connect information of the world to their senses.

Each of the sites that I listed in the references of the blog page offer additional ground-work to better grasp Max Wertherheimer's and his colleagues Gestalt Theory. The sites expand on what I've provided as examples while offering additional references on the subject.

Lastly, I just want to add a brief about another site that is chock-full of information concerning the cognitive mental process of our brain. The webstite, http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/cogsys/infoproc.html provides an excellent image that lays out a visual of how the process of sensory registers, short-term or working memory and long-term memory react to stimulus.

Mental processes, perceptions and illusions are quite interesting. Now, take a moment and revisit the picture at the beginning of my Blog. Test your own perception, do you see a young woman or an old woman?


References:

Learning Theories and Instruction, (Ormrod, Shunk, Gredlier, 2009), Custom Edition, Laureate Education, Inc.

The Gestalt Principles. Retrieved July 9, 2010 from the website:
http://graphicdesign.spokanefalls.edu/tutorials/process/gestaltprinciples/gestaltprinc.htm

Bonnie Skaalind (1999), Gestalt Principles of Perception. Retrieved July 9, 2010 from the website: http://www.usask.ca/education/coursework/skaalid/theory/gestalt/gestalt.htm

Dr. C. George Boeree, (2000), Gestalt Psychology. Retrieved July 9, 2010 from the website: http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/gestalt.html

Learning and Teaching. Retrieved July 9, 2010 from the website:
http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/gestalt.htm

Huitt, W. (2003). The information processing approach to cognition. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved July 9, 2010 from the website: http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/cogsys/infoproc.html