The letters on the flashing neon sign actually read: CPEN FOR BUSINESS! But because of the law of _____, Joe never noticed that part of one neon letter was burned out and perceived the sign as reading: OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The law of closure suggests that people tend to perceive incomplete patterns as complete by filling in missing information. In this case, Joe filled in the missing part of the "O" in "OPEN" and perceived the sign as reading "OPEN FOR BUSINESS", even though it technically said "CPEN FOR BUSINESS". Proximity, similarity, and good continuation would not necessarily explain this particular perceptual phenomenon.

The Letters on the Flashing Neon Sign Actually Read: CPEN