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Gestalt Laws of Perceptual

Organization
By
Kendra Cherry
Updated on April 25, 2021

Medically reviewed by
Daniel B. Block, MD

Reviewed by
Daniel B. Block, MD

Developed by German psychologists, the Gestalt laws describe how we

interpret the complex world around us. They explain why a series of flashing
lights appear to be moving. And why we read a sentence like this, notli ket his
ort hat. These are just a few real-lie examples of the Gestalt laws.

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Verywell / JR Bee

History of the Gestalt Laws

Have you noticed how alternately flashing lights, such as neon signs or strands
of lights, can look like a single light that was moving back and forth? This optical
illusion is known as the phi phenomenon. Discovered by German psychologist
Max Wertheimer, this illusion of movement became a basis for Gestalt
psychology.

According to Gestalt psychology, this apparent movement happens because o

minds fill in missing information. Motion pictures are based on this principle, w
a series of still images appearing in rapid succession to form a seamless visua
experience.

Gestalt psychology focuses on how our minds organize and interpret visual
data. It emphasizes that the whole of anything is greater than its parts.

Based upon this belief, Wertheimer along with Gestalt psychologists Wolfgang
Köhler and Kurt Koffka, developed a set of rules to explain how we group

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smaller objects to form larger ones (perceptual organization). They called these
rules the Gestalt Laws.

It's important to note that while Gestalt psychologists call these phenomena
"laws," a more accurate term would be "principles." These principles are much
like heuristics, which are mental shortcuts for solving problems.

Law of Similarity
The law of similarity states that similar things tend to appear grouped together.
Grouping can occur in both visual and auditory stimuli.

In the image at the top of this page, for example, you probably see two separate
groupings of colored circles as rows rather than just a collection of dots.

Law of Prägnanz
The law of prägnanz is sometimes referred to as the law of good figure or the
law of simplicity. This law holds that when you're presented with a set of
ambiguous or complex objects, your brain will make them appear as simple as
possible. For example, when presented with the Olympic logo, you see
overlapping circles rather than an assortment of curved, connected lines.

The word prägnanz is a German term meaning "good figure."

Law of Proximity

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According to the law of proximity, things that are close together seem more
related than things that are spaced farther apart.

In the image at the top of the page, the circles on the left appear to be part of
one grouping while those on the right appear to be part of another. Because the
objects are close to each other, we group them together.

Law of Continuity
The law of continuity holds that points that are connected by straight or curving
lines are seen in a way that follows the smoothest path. In other words,
elements in a line or curve seem more related to one another than those
positioned randomly.

Law of Closure
According to the law of closure, we perceive elements as belonging to the same
group if they seem to complete some entity. Our brains often ignore
contradictory information and fill in gaps in information.

In the image at the top of the page, you probably see the shape of a diamond
because your brain fills in the missing gaps in order to create a meaningful
image.

The Law of Common Region

The Gestalt law of common region says that when elements are located in the
same closed region, we perceive them as belonging to the same group.

Look at the last image at the top of the page. The circles are right next to each
other so that the dot at the end of one circle is actually closer to the dot at the
end of the neighboring circle. But despite how close those two dots are, we see
the dots inside the circles as belonging together.

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Creating a clearly defined boundary can overpower other Gestalt laws such as
the law of proximity.

A Word From Verywell

The Gestalt laws of perceptual organization present a set of principles for
understanding some of the ways in which perception works. Research
continues to offer insights into perception and how we see the world. These
principles of organization play a role in perception, but it is also important to
remember that they can sometimes lead to incorrect perceptions of the world.

It is important to remember that while these principles are referred to as laws of

perceptual organization, they are actually heuristics or shortcuts. Heuristics are
usually designed for speed, which is why our perceptual systems sometimes
make mistakes and we experience perceptual inaccuracies.

Article Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to

support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about
how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. Wagemans J, Elder JH, Kubovy M, et al. A century of Gestalt psychology in visual

perception: I. Perceptual grouping and figure-ground organization. Psychol Bull.
2012;138(6):1172–1217. doi:10.1037/a0029333

2. Vezzani, S, Marino, BF, Giora, E. An early history of the Gestalt factors of

organization. Perception. 2012;41(2):148-67. doi:10.1068/p7122

3. Dresp-Langley B. Principles of perceptual grouping: Implications for image-guided

surgery. Front Psychol. 2015;6:1565. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01565

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4. Ali N, Peebles D. The effect of Gestalt laws of perceptual organization on the

comprehension of three-variable bar and line graphs. Hum Factors.
2013;55(1):183-203. doi:10.1177/0018720812452592

Additional Reading

Goldstein EB, Brockmole JR. Sensation and Perception. 10th ed. Cengage
Learning; 2017.

Goldstein EB. Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research and Everyday

Experience. Cengage Learning; 2014.

Nevid JS. Essentials of Psychology: Concepts and Applications. 5th ed. Cengage
Learning; 2018.

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