Deck 12: gestalt Psychology

Question 1

​What people and which of their ideas were antecedent influences on Gestalt psychology? In what way did the changing zeitgeist in physics affect this emerging school of thought?

Answer 1

Answer not provided.​

Question 2

​For the school of Gestalt psychology,"form" was ____.

A)​something that existed outside of sensation
B)a creation of the mind
C)​dependent on the elements
D)an artificial abstraction
E)All of the choices are correct.

Answer 2

a creation of the mind

Question 3

​Köhler reported that he was "shocked" by ____.

A)​the phi phenomenon
B)the primates' insight learning
C)​Wundt's notion that psychological facts are composed of inert atoms
D)Thorndike's law of effect
E)Watson's behaviorism

Answer 3

​Wundt's notion that psychological facts are composed of inert atoms

Question 4

​The unbiased description of immediate experience as it occurs is ____.

A)​mediate experience
B)an unarticulated insight
C)​a temporal form
D)the phi phenomenon
E)phenomenology

Question 5

​Gestalt psychology started as a movement opposed to ____.

A)​functionalism
B)Behaviorism
C)​Wundt's approach
D)Titchener's system
E)structuralism

Question 6

​For Mach,sensations are ____.

A)​temporal
B)dependent on the elements of which they are composed
C)​spatial
D)independent of the elements of which they are composed
E)illusory

Question 7

​For Brentano,the subject matter of psychology was ____.

A)​sensations
B)perceptions
C)​temporal patterns
D)associations
E)experiences

Question 8

​The Gestalt psychologists referred to Wundt's system as ____.

A)structuralism​
B)elementism
C)​brick and mortar psychology
D)voluntarism
E)elementary psychology

Question 9

What was the central thrust or point of Max Wertheimer's book on productive thinking? What is productive thinking? Describe his approach to problem solving as well as his views on mechanical drill and rote learning.​

Question 10

​The Gestalt protest against Wundt's system focused on his ____.

A)​elementism
B)denial of will
C)notion of imageless thought​
D)use of introspection
E)determinism

Question 11

​The notion of Gestalt quälitaten was offered by ____.

A)​Brentano
B)von Ehrenfels
C)Mach​
D)Wertheimer
E)Lewin

Question 12

​Which of the following statements indicates how Gestalt psychology and behaviorism treated the study of consciousness?

A)​Gestalt psychology rejected the existence of consciousness.Behaviorism accepted the study of consciousness and claimed it can be analyzed into stimulus-response associations.
B)Both Gestalt psychology and behaviorism accepted the study of consciousness.However,Gestalt psychology did not believe that consciousness could be analyzed into mental elements whereas behaviorism accepted the possibility of analyzing consciousness into part processes.
C)​Both Gestalt psychology and behaviorism rejected the study of consciousness in psychology.
D)Gestalt psychology accepted the study of consciousness but criticized the attempt to analyze it into elements.Behaviorism refused to acknowledge the existence of consciousness.
E)None of the choices are correct.

Question 13

​The essence of the Gestalt system is found in the work of the philosopher ____.

A)​Kant
B)Leibnitz
C)​La Mettrie
D)Locke
E)James Mill​

Question 14

Describe the various contextual forces that interfered with Gestalt psychology's having a major impact in the United States.​

Question 15

In what way was the phi phenomenon a challenge to Wundt's system?​

A)​The phi phenomenon could not be reduced to its basic elements.
B)Specially trained observers proved that the empirical methods used to prove the phi phenomenon were more applicable to their perceptions than that of Wundt's introspective method.
C)​Although it contradicted Wundt's reductionistic theory,Wundt adequately demonstrated that the phenomenon could be reduced to basic elements.
D)The phi phenomenon demonstrated the existence of consciousness in humans.
E)None of the above.

Question 16

​Gestalt psychologists believed that ____.

A)​less is more
B)there is less to perception than meets the eye
C)​more is less
D)there is more to perception than meets the eye
E)All of the choices can be true,depending on the situation.

Question 17

What are the major contributions of Gestalt psychology to psychology as a discipline?​

Question 18

The Gestalt school's major difference with behaviorists was over the ____.​

A)​existence of the phi phenomenon
B)utility of the concept of consciousness
C)​utility of the concept of perception
D)experimental method
E)use of introspection

Question 19

​Contrary to the notion of a passive mind,as portrayed by the British empiricists,the German philosopher Kant held that the mind ____.

A)​is a stream of consciousness
B)actively organizes sensory information into a coherent experience
C)​actively organizes sensory information according to a mechanical process of association
D)is sensitive to perceptions,not sensations
E)All of the choices are correct.

Question 20

Describe Köhler's "insight" learning and Thorndike's law of effect.What is(are)the major difference(s)between the two?​

Question 21

A(n)____ is a quality of wholeness or completeness in perceptual experiences that does not vary even when the actual sensory elements change.​

A)​Gestalt
B)illusion
C)​perceptual constancy
D)state of consciousness
E)insight

Question 22

​Concurrent with the rise of Gestalt psychology,the Zeitgeist in physics was embracing ____.

A)​positivism
B)operationism
C)​phenomenology
D)field theory
E)topology

Question 23

​Perhaps the best known of the books written by the Gestalt psychologists,The Mentality of Apes,____.

A)​was the result of the influence of Darwin's theory of evolution
B)documented animals' purposeful behaviors to solve problems
C)​aided in the discovery of perceptual constancies
D)is an example of the application of field theory to the behavior of monkeys
E)demonstrates the influence of the functionalist school and its emphasis on adaptation

Question 24

​The connection between certain aspects of Gestalt psychology and principles and terms of physics reflects ____.

A)​Köhler's training in physics
B)the impact of Bridgman's work on operationism
C)​a lack of alternative systems from which to draw vocabulary
D)Lewin's topologies
E)Wertheimer's fascination with stroboscopes

Question 25

The importance of perceptual constancies in the Wundt versus Gestalt debate was that the experience supported ____.​

A)​Wundt's findings that replication of experimental introspection methods provided the same or similar data
B)Wundt's position that forms can always be reduced to constant elements (sensations and feelings)
C)​Wundt's findings that analysis of an experience does not distort it
D)the Gestalt position that "completeness" of an experience is not altered when the actual sensory components of the experience are altered
E)the Gestalt finding that unless the animal changes an element of the problem,it cannot "see" (perceive)the solution

Question 26

​One of the major reasons that Gestalt psychology failed to become popular in the United States apparently was ____.

A)​the animosity toward the Germans that was provoked by events of World War I
B)its coincidental association with the rise of the Nazi regime
C)​American scholars' belief that Gestalt theory had only to do with perception
D)because it was vociferously opposed by Titchener and Watson
E)its focus on consciousness when Watson was criticizing the concept

Question 27

​The leaders of the ____ immediately supported the Nazi regime and proclaimed the "evil influence" of the Jews.

A)​Gestalt movement
B)German Psychological Society
C)​Anti-Defamation League
D)None of the choices are correct.
E)All of the choices are correct.

Question 28

____ was the spokesman for the Gestalt movement who studied the thinking processes of chimpanzees,left Germany because of his anti-Nazi activities,came to the United States,and eventually became president of the American Psychological Association.

A)​Max Wertheimer
B)Kurt Goldstein
C)​Kurt Koffka
D)Wolfgang Köhler
E)Kurt Lewin

Question 29

​Complete the following analogy: Field of force: ____:: ____: Psychology.

A)​Physics;Gestalts
B)Biology;Consciousness
C)​Anatomy;Behaviorism
D)Physiology;Psyche
E)Geography;Introspection

Question 30

​The notion that form is a property of objects is ____.

A)​a definition of "Gestalt"
B)a criterion for the phi phenomenon
C)​necessary for the occurrence of insight learning
D)unique to the sensory field
E)a priori

Question 31

​The Gestalt system was introduced to American scholars by ____.

A)​Wertheimer
B)Koffka
C)​Köhler
D)Lewin
E)von Ehrenfels

Question 32

The Gestalt psychologists argued that reduction to the elements of experience ____.​

A)​are products of reflection
B)are products of abstraction
C)​are remote from immediate experience
D)do not and cannot explain a perception
E)All of the choices are correct.

Question 33

​How did Wertheimer explain the phi phenomenon?

A)​He did not;he said it did not need explanation.
B)He could not.
C)​He explained it in terms of the speed of the flashing of the lights.
D)He described it in terms of the principle of proximity.
E)He described it in terms of the principle of continuity.

Question 34

The basic premise of the Gestalt principles of perception is that perceptual organization is ____.​

A)​a reflex
B)an instinct
C)​innate
D)learned
E)constant

Question 35

​In Germany,the Gestalt protest of Wundt's system was ____.

A)​welcomed by colleagues at German universities who were annoyed at the limitations of Wundt's system but unable to challenge it
B)considered to be heresy
C)​welcomed by the Nazi party because it was a direct assault on the power of the German university system and the German intelligentsia
D)welcomed by the Nazi party because it led to the emigration of a number of influential Jewish intellectuals from Germany
E)All of the choices are correct.

Question 36

​Who was a subject in Wertheimer's research on the perception of apparent movement?

A)​His son,Michael
B)Koffka
C)​Köhler
D)Koffka and Köhler
E)Wundt

Question 37

​Maslow's notion of self-actualization was partially based on ____.

A)​the Gestalt principles of good closure and continuity
B)Phenomenology
C)​the application of principles of fields of force to personality development
D)the personal characteristics of Max Wertheimer
E)Lewin's topology

Question 38

​The Gestalt psychologists initially chose to focus on perception ____.

A)​to challenge Wundtian psychology directly
B)because research on insight was dependent on vision
C)​in order to confront the inadequacies of introspection directly
D)because isomorphism was not applicable to learning
E)because Gestalt principles of organization applied only to the narrow fields of sensation and perception

Question 39

The Gestalt principles of organization ____.​

A)​depend on higher mental processes
B)depend on past experiences
C)​are present in the stimuli themselves
D)are central factors
E)did not receive research support

Question 40

​"Apparent movement" is another term for ____.

A)​Gestalt quälitaten
B)existentialism
C)​extensity
D)the phi phenomenon
E)vectors

Question 41

​The Gestalt psychologists maintained that a correspondence called ____ exists between perceptual activity and brain activity.

A)​continuity
B)isomorphism
C)​similarity
D)closure
E)the Zeigarnik effect

Question 42

​In the Gestalt view,learning entails ____.

A)​rote memorization
B)a restructuring of the psychological environment
C)​transfer of training
D)the principles of prägnanz and figure/ground
E)reinforcement

Question 43

​The spontaneous understanding of a phenomenon is called ____.

A)​problem solving
B)Einsicht
C)​Einfall
D)über-Ich
E)Seele

Question 44

In the original source material from The Mentality of Apes,Köhler argued that "a particular difficulty must lie in the ____."​

A)​role of instincts
B)lack of direction of some subjects
C)​role of imitation
D)role of genius
E)problem itself

Question 45

It is known that before an eye movement or a finger movement occurs,it is possible to record altered activity in a specific cerebral cortex area.The Gestaltists would argue that this is support for the principle of ____.​

A)​Einsicht
B)cerebral sign Gestalt
C)​isomorphism
D)quasimorphism
E)equimorphism

Question 46

The thrust of Gestalt psychology's attack on behaviorism focused on the latter's ____.​

A)​exclusive use of animal subjects
B)denial of perception
C)​reductionism
D)notion of intervening variables
E)focus on learning

Question 47

Köhler argued that solving a problem requires ____.​

A)​experience with the tools available in the perceptual field
B)a restructuring of the perceptual field
C)​opposable thumbs
D)critical thinking skills
E)transfer of training

Question 48

​Köhler's findings occurred simultaneously with ____ discovery of ____.

A)​Wertheimer's;productive thinking
B)Thorndike's;the law of effect
C)​Yerkes';the army Beta test
D)Wertheimer's;isomorphism
E)Yerkes';ideational learning

Question 49

Wertheimer suggested that brain activity is ____.​

A)​a "configural whole process"
B)incongruent with conscious experience
C)​rather like fields of force
D)is placed "on edge" when insight occurs
E)None of the choices are correct.

Question 50

For Wertheimer,rote memorization and/or rote learning ____.​

A)​had the fastest decay period
B)was inefficient compared to insight learning
C)​was an effective way to learn
D)was appropriate only for those of below-average intelligence
E)None of the choices are correct.

Question 51

Köhler's basic criterion for intelligence was ____.​

A)​the ability to solve problems
B)the ability to mimic the humans in their environment
C)​the speed with which subjects solve problems
D)the number of trial-and-error attempts the subject made
E)whether the subject required a reinforcer to solve a problem

Question 52

Wertheimer defined "peripheral factors" as ____.​

A)​those that distort perceptions
B)those that determine whether a component is figure or ground
C)​those that influence perception
D)those that mediate experiences
E)the organizing principles present in the stimuli

Question 53

​Köhler's research on Tenerife ____

A)​invoked a pre-test/post-test design to assess learning
B)required the use of domesticated animals
C)​used the systematic manipulation of problem difficulty
D)required an anthropomorphic approach
E)was analyzed based solely on his descriptions of incidents

Question 54

​Wertheimer's basic premise for productive thinking was that ____.

A)​the whole problem must dominate the parts
B)the learner must be given all the necessary tools for solving the problem
C)​rote learning is not learning;it is memorization
D)the principles of solutions must be understood,not just situation-specific or problem-specific solutions
E)both the whole problem must dominate the parts and the principles of solutions must be understood,not just situation-specific or problem-specific solutions

Question 55

​The focus of Lewin's system was on ____.

A)​motivation
B)learning
C)​psychophysics
D)behavior within its total physical context
E)behavior exclusive of its social context

Question 56

According to Köhler,insight involves ____.​

A)​the learning of a stimulus-response association
B)the learning of a connection between a response and reinforcement
C)​an immediate apprehension or cognition of relationships
D)the ability to use intuition to solve problems
E)All of the choices are correct.

Question 57

​The term field theory was applied to whose system?

A)​Gestalt psychology's
B)Wertheimer's
C)​Koffka's
D)Köhler's
E)Lewin's

Question 58

​From the Gestalt perspective,insight requires that one ____.

A)​perceive the relationships between the components of the problem or issue
B)deconstruct the component elements of a problem
C)​be able to distinguish the figure from the ground
D)have familiarity with at least half of the components of the issue or problem
E)have some capacity for communication either directly or through sign language

Question 59

​Pavlov ____.

A)​replicated Köhler's work on Tenerife with the same results
B)did not attempt to replicate Köhler's work because it was nonsensical
C)​replicated Köhler's work but found it to be "chaotic"
D)did not attempt to replicate Köhler's work because it made perfect sense
E)revised his own system as a result of Köhler's work

Question 60

Köhler argued that trial-and-error learning ____.​

A)​overlooked the small units of S-R connections the animal acquired on each trial
B)was a condition of vicarious learning
C)​was a consequence of vicarious learning
D)was a consequence of not allowing the subject to see the whole situation
E)was especially useful because of its application of reinforcement

Question 61

​According to Lewin,life space ____.

A)​is another term for locus of control
B)refers only to the physical environment in which a person lives
C)​represents the goals a person has in life
D)corresponds to all the events that can influence a person's behavior
E)is similar to sensitivity training

Question 62

An early test of Lewin's tension theory was done by Zeigarnik who discovered that humans ____.​

A)​suffer depression when they experience constant failures
B)better remember an unusual item in a series of items
C)​tend to remember unfinished tasks better than finished ones
D)use phenomenology when the introspect
E)sometimes show less insight than do apes

Question 63

​The greatest stimulus for Gestalt psychology are Müller's Gestalt quälitaten.

Question 64

​Wertheimer's "impression of movement" was the phi phenomenon.

Question 65

A major challenge Wundt and his associates failed to meet was the reduction of the phi phenomenon.​

Question 66

​Perhaps the major contribution of Gestalt psychology to contemporary systems was the ____.

A)​focus on perception
B)focus on the principles of perceptual organization
C)​legitimization of conscious experiences
D)similarity between Gestalt insight learning and Freud's notion of insight
E)precision of its methodology

Question 67

Maslow's self-actualized person concept was based partly on Lewin.​

Question 68

​The physicist who most influenced Gestalt psychology was Mach.

Question 69

The Zeitgeist in physics at the time Gestalt psychology was founded was "fields of force."​

Question 70

​Psychologists attacked which aspect of Gestalt psychology?

A)the lack of rigor in its definitions
B)its preoccupation with theory
C)​its qualitative results and lack of statistical analysis
D)poorly defined physiological assumptions
E)All of the choices are correct.

Question 71

The observation that an undone task is remembered until completed is an illustration of ____.​

A)​goals
B)insight
C)​vectors
D)valences
E)the Zeigarnik effect

Question 72

​Like Skinner,Lewin argued that ____.

A)​a mathematical model was the ultimate goal of psychology
B)the individual person should be the focus of study
C)​the "whole" of the environment and S-R contingencies must be considered in the functional analysis of behavior
D)statistics were not useful
E)behavior should be the focus of behaviorism

Question 73

​An analysis of an overt behavior in Lewin's system requires a consideration of ____.

A)​vectors
B)barriers
C)​goals
D)valences
E)All of the choices are correct.

Question 74

Wertheimer did not explain perceived movement but instead simply accepted it.​

Question 75

​The construct of the life space describes ____.

A)​the person's psychological field
B)behavior in a given situation
C)​the person's adaptation to physical barriers
D)a topological field
E)the interaction of vectors

Question 76

​The most outstanding feature of Lewin's social psychology is ____.

A)​sensitivity dynamics
B)group dynamics
C)​the social field
D)leadership styles
E)psychological action research

Question 77

​The Gestalt protest arose in opposition to Titchener's structuralism.

Question 78

​The psychologist who most directly influenced the basic tenets of Gestalt psychology was Ebbinghaus.

Question 79

​When Gestalt psychology was in its infancy,which school(s)of thought was/were already established?

A)​behaviorism
B)functionalism
C)​psychoanalysis
D)A and C only.
E)All of the above.

Question 80

​Unfortunately,Gestalt psychology was unable to extend its work beyond the area of perception.