Gestalt Laws

Gestalt Laws

1. The whole is worth more than the sum of the parts

   • organising parts that make up the stimulus of what we can see gives us a more complete perception, so the whole that we end up with is worth more than the sum of all the individual parts

2. Figure and ground

   • a small, complex, symmetrical object (figure) is seen as separate from a background (ground)
   • figure is complex, small and symmetrical
   • ground is simple, large and disorganised

3. Similarity

   • figures sharing size, shape or colour are grouped together with other things that look the same
   • we group together things with the same characteristics and separate them from things which look different

4. Proximity

   • objects which are close together are perceived to be related
   • we tend to see some things as grouped because they are close together

5. Continuity

   • straight lines, curves and shapes are perceived to carry on being the same
   • we link things that follow a predictable pattern, this makes them look as if they are continuous or joined, even if they are not

6. Closure

   • lines or shapes are perceived as complete figures even if parts are missing
   • when we organise perception we fill in the gaps, instead of seeing lines, we make the lines into complete edges and therefore perceive a shape surrounded by the line