Chapter 9: The Paths of Gestalt Psychology. PSK302-History of Psychology II Assoc. Prof. Okan Cem Çırakoğlu

Transcription

1 Chapter 9: The Paths of Gestalt Psychology PSK302-History of Psychology II Assoc. Prof. Okan Cem Çırakoğlu

2 The Social Landscape After the Great War ( ) After the war, psychology as a profession and an academic discipline counted significant losses. Public and private subsidies to universities declined. Psychology was given a lower priority than chemistry, physics, engineering, and other fields. The situation began to improve only by the mid-1920s. Social and political instability in the 1920s and 1930s affected the lives of millions of people. Political authorities in many countries began to establish and expand their control over science and education.

3 Politics and Psychology Nazi officials demanded Communist officials demanded Psychologists must embrace the Nazi ideology Psychologists from minority group must be eliminated Psychology must serve the interests of the working class Psychologist must embrace Marxism Psychology must serve the interests of the Nazi state Psychologists must reject Western theories

4 Principles of Gestalt Psychology: Theoretical Roots Philosophy (holistic principles) Hegel s ideas of holism Mach s ideas of time and space Psychological research (perception) Rubin vase Figure-ground relationships Physics

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6 Gestalt Principles of Perception Phi-phenomenon. Wertheimer (1912) explained this phenomenon as the observable fact of pure motion when two images are projected in succession. There is no physical motion, only experience of it.

7 Gestalt Principles of Perception For Gestalt psychologists, the process of perception was about the mind a builder producing something new, something fundamentally different from the assemblage of these elements. Gestalt psychologists showed in their experimental research that it is not the elements but the integrated and constant patterns or wholes that are likely to be the fundamental features of our psychological experience.

8 Gestalt Principles of Perception Almost all of us instantly recognize these faces as a child and woman without analyzing every facial detail. Gestalt psychologists believed that this is the way our perception works.

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10 From Perception to Behavior Wolfgang Köhler. Decision making, as a process involving a selection from alternatives, is about grasping the relations between two elements. An animal does not simply respond to the absolute properties of a stimulus, as John Watson and behaviorists would have suggested. An animal responds to a signal relevant to its surroundings. Insight is he ability of seeing into a situation, understanding its inner nature; a sudden, intuitive perception or grasping of useful relations in a given situation.

11 From Perception to Behavior The study of insight was a significant development in psychology because it introduced an innovative model of learning. It was different from the most traditional psychological models involving repetition of a habit or popular behaviorist models emphasizing conditioning (Pavlov s theory) and trial and error (Thorndike s work).

12 Three features of insight Reflection of the whole layout of elements in the field Perceptual reconstruction of the task. Transposition: learning transfers from one problem or situation to other situations and tasks.

13 Advancements of Gestalt Theory: Field Theory of Kurt Lewin Kurt Lewin ( ), as many psychologists of his generation, had a productive career after immigrating to the United States. Lewin s research influenced the early developments of social psychology.

14 Advancements of Gestalt Theory: Field Theory of Kurt Lewin The Field Theory Geometry Topology Psychology

15 Advancements of Gestalt Theory: Field Theory of Kurt Lewin To understand or predict someone s behavior (Lewin label it B ), the researcher must understand the psychological state of a person (labeled P ) and of the psychological environment (E). In this system, P and E are interdependent variables. Behavior becomes a function (labeled f ) of an individual s personality characteristic and of specific environmental or situational conditions. B = ƒ(p, E)

16 Advancements of Gestalt Theory: Field Theory of Kurt Lewin According to field theory, an individual behavior depends on the characteristics of the present field at a particular moment. An individual s goals (no matter how a psychologist understands them) and past experiences (behaviorists describe them as reflexes or habits) are all fit into the field characteristics of the moment. To describe the field, Lewin introduced terms such as life space, field, existence, locomotion, force, valence, goal, conflict, interdependence, and many others.

17 Field Theory of Kurt Lewin

18 Illustrative examples of the Force Field Analysis

19 Lewin: Leadership Styles Authoritarian Laissez-faire Democratic The authoritarian style is established when the leader makes all the decisions. This person is controlling, directive, and demanding and shares with group members few explanations regarding group activities. Displaying the democratic style, the leader makes decisions after consulting with the group. The leader often allows group members to choose their own strategies. The third style was called laissez-faire. The leader does not try to exercise control over the group and gives group members only general instructions and advice.