• People use perception

which is a process that

involves interpretation,
use of knowledge, and
understanding.
PARTS AND
WHOLES
• Perception is not a passive procedure of just
accepting and decoding sensations like for
instance the visual scene that keeps changing
from time to time or the auditory senses of
listening to the humming, buzzling, and irritating
noises.
• The brain adjusts and bridges the gap to be able
to distinguish what people see, hear as well as
touch. (Berstein, Roy, Srull & Wickens, 1991)
Thus, perception and mereology are closely related.

• Mereology is a study of the wholes they form from its

parts

• Inquire (1994) notes that, each “part-part-whole schema

allows children to deal with problems more flexibly by
interpreting the semantic structures of different addition
and subtraction problems in terms of parts and wholes

• The words “whole” and “part” tell the segregating

relationship
• According to Gestalt (shape/form) theory, the world is a
functional logical whole, the events and experiences in
real life are arranged into significant components, and
the natural elements have their individual structure.

• Through perception Gestalt experts believe that the

brain enhances whole forms pertinent to visual
recognition from local to international figures such as
scrutinizing the lines, curves, points, and many other
shapes.
Your brain sees a dog walking, but it’s nothing more than a
series of moving dots.

“The unified whole is different from the sum of its parts.”

• Gestalt principles or laws are
rules that describe how the
human eye perceives visual
elements.
• These principles aim to show
how complex scenes can be
reduced to more simple shapes.
• They also aim to explain how
the eyes perceive the shapes as
a single, united form rather than
the separate simpler elements
involved.
1.Proximity
“objects that are closer together
are perceived as more related
than objects that are further apart”
(Bradley, 2014).

This demonstrates that figures that

are closer to each other have the
tendency to cluster together since
the brain directly identifies object
that are familiar compared to
elements that are outside of the
category.
(2) Similarity
“Elements that share similar
characteristics are perceived
as more related than elements
that don’t share those
characteristics” (Bradley 2014).

This takes effect when objects

are grouped together and
perceptually they are similar to
the other through color,
texture, shape, shading, and
among other qualities.
(3) Common Regions
“Elements are perceived as
part of a group if they are
located within the same close
region” (Bradley 2014).

This principle portrays that

even related elements are
being enclosed yet outside the
boundary is consider a
separate entity
(4) Focal Points
“Elements with a points of
interest, emphasis or
difference will capture and
hold the viewer`s” (Bradley
2014).

This principle elaborates that

anything that is different in a
group of similar objects will
alert or provoke danger to the
viewers.
(5) Uniform Connectedness
“Elements that are visually
connected are perceived as
more related than elements with
no connection” (Bradley 2014).

This principle allows to connect

two set of uniform objects.
(6) Closure
“When seeing a complex
arrangement of elements, we
tend to look for a single
recognizable pattern” (Bradley
2014).

This indicates that people see

objects such as shapes, letters,
and pictures as wholes even
when these objects are not
complete because the brain has
the capacity to fill in the gaps
(7) Symmetry and Order
“People tend to perceive
objects as symmetrical
shapes that form around
their center ” (Bradley 2014).

This shows that the brain

sees objects as symmetrical
and creates a center even if
one part is missing allowing
the brain to immediately link
to form a shape.
(8) Continuation
“Elements arranged on a line
or curve are perceived as more
related than elements not on
the line or curve” (Bradley
2014).

This explains when objects are

clustered and incorporated
into perceptual wholes and
that they are aligned together
even if there is an intersection
between this objects.
(9) Figure or Ground
“Elements are perceived as
either figure (the element in
focus) or ground (the
background on which the
figure rests” (Bradley 2014).

This principles speaks of the

connection between positive
and negative spaces since the
eyes will divide whole objects
from backdrop to comprehend
the theme of the subject .
(10) Common Fate (Synchrony)
“Elements that move in the same
direction are perceived as more
related than elements that are
stationary or that move in
different direction” (Bradley
2014).
This illustrates when objects are
seen as lines moving in the same
direction, viewers will see them as
being related even if they are
different from each other.
(11) Parallelism
“Elements that are parallel to
each other are seen as more
related than elements not parallel
to each other” (Bradley 2014).

This parallelism principle applies

to lines that are moving or
pointing to the same destination
that will make these objects
related .
(12) Law of Pragnanz (Good
figure or law of simplicity)
“people will perceive and
interpret ambiguous or complex
images as the simplest form(s)
possible” (Bradley 2014).

This takes effect when objects

are grouped together and
perceptually they are similar to
the other through color, texture,
shape, shading, and among
other qualities.
(13) Past Experience
“Elements tend to be
perceived according to be
observer’s past experience”
(Bradley 2014).

This denotes that in some

situations visual stimuli are
grouped from past experience
such as street signs or traffic
lights.
 Importance of the
GESTALT PRINCIPLE
• Enables individuals to
create an organized
whole.
• 90% is judged from the
brain and the remaining
10 % is from the eyes.
 Importance of the
GESTALT PRINCIPLE
• These theories are used by the
designers and concept makers
to create a fad in the market.
• They also regulate these optical
illusions to create powerful
products and design giving
birth to artistry.
Importance of the GESTALT PRINCIPLE
• Gestalt even reduces the product
to have a plain design, logo or
slogan allowing many to save
space or aid communication.
• It is important to get a deeper
grasp of Gestalt Theories to
create a fad that will transform
into a trend and then later
provide branding from such
creation.
 TASK: Picture Analysis

• You will see some paintings by

Pablo Picasso, a famous Spanish
painter known for his abstract
works and co-founder of the cubist.
• Select one painting and write a
100-word essay with the following
guide questions:
 TASK: Picture Analysis

1. Describe the painting based from

your perception/interpretation.
2. What significance can you find in
the painting?
3. Associate the picture from any of
the 13 principles of the gestalt
theory.
Dora Maar Au Chat
Reading
The Weeping Woman
The Sculptor