The Gestalt Approach

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  • Created by: L.eve
  • Created on: 14-12-20 18:11
What did Gestalt Psychologists argue?
Not all psychological phenomena could be discovered from observable behaviour, top-down processes also need to be considered.
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Define transduction
How info in the external world is translated into neural activity via the sense organs.
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Define perception
How the mind interprets/recognises neural activity & creates meaningful internal representations of the external world.
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Law of proximity
Elements close together belong together.
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Law of similarity
Similar objects are grouped together.
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Law of good continuation
We prefer to perceive predictable forms.
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Law of closure
Missing parts of a figure are filled in.
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Principle of common fate
Elements that move together are grouped together.
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Meaningfulness & familiarity
Things are more likely to form groups if the groups appear familiar/meaningful.
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What is a well-defined problem?
Where the problem only has one solution.
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What is an ill-defined problem?
There might be many solutions to a problem.
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Adversary problem-solving
Use your problem-solving skills against another person's problem solving skills.
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Non-adversary problem-solving
Just yourself against the problem.
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Knowledge-rich
Requires you to have expert knowledge to solve the problem.
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Knowledge-poor
Don't need any prior experience to solve the problem.
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Describe Gestalt approach to solving problems
- Problem solving is a series of learned responses from interaction with environment
- Trial & error
- Productive & creative
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What is the two-string problem?
Participants had to tie 2 strings but had to use tools to reach them both, swing one to grab it. Some people had an issue solving this, unconscious cue was given to restructure the problem (Maier, 1931).
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What is functional fixedness?
Sometimes we get stuck because of stereotypical thinking.
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Describe the Water Jug Problem
Start state-3 jugs different capacities, task is to put water in each so 4 pints are in the 8 pint & 5 pint jugs. The control group solved with simple solution, but the set group were given a complex version of solution. So the previously learned solution
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Describe the Cheap Necklace Problem
4 separate chains 3 links in length, costs 2p to open a link & 3p to close, only have 15p to join al links. Those who couldn't solve split into 2 groups both given different lengths, those given a short break 64% solved, long break 85% solved -incubation
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Theory of insight
Barriers to problem solving are seen as an impass, we need a new retrieval cue to overcome these barriers (Ohlsson's, 1992).
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Describe the 49 Dot Problem
Have to connect all dots with 4 straight lines without lifting pen (Scheerer, 1963). Weisberg & Alba (1981) hinted they had to draw out the lines but still only 20% solved, they needed very specific insight. MacGregor, Ormerod & Chronicle (2001) repeated
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Define transduction

Back

How info in the external world is translated into neural activity via the sense organs.

Card 3

Front

Define perception

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

Law of proximity

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Law of similarity

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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