Gestalt Theory and its Application in Instructional Design Karen Williams University of Texas, Brownsville ESPY 6304-02
1 Gestalt Theory: History and Overview 2 Application of Gestalt Theory in Education 3 Gestalt Theory And Instructional Design 4 Activity: Use of Gestalt Theory in Computer Based Learning Application
History and Overview Gestalt is a word of German origin. It means form, pattern, and/or confjguration. A confjguration or pattern offers an “organization” to the perceptions of individual experiences. The operational principle of Gestalt psychology is that the brain is holistic and with self-organizing tendencies. What this means is that the human eye sees objects in their entirety prior to perceiving their individual parts . Gestalt theory emphasizes wholeness and organization. cOntents
Max Wertheimer , who along with Wolfgang Kohler and Kurt Koffka, conducted research which fjrst demonstrated relationships between visual stimulus confjgurations, i.e. “parts” and experienced “wholes.” This led to the conclusion that relationships between visual stimulus and perception is not haphazard but instead is a phenomena which can be studied and categorized. cOntents
The Gestaltist motto is: the whole is greater than the sum of the parts Gestalt theory emerged in opposition to the leading theory of the time, Behaviorism. Behaviorism states that psychology should concern itself with the observable behavior of people and animals, and not with the unobservable events that take place in their minds. The Gestaltist stance is the opposite— perception and what takes place in the mind is what matters. cOntents
Four basic assumptions of Gestalt theory: 1) Study “molar” rather than “molecular” behavior. 2) Organisms respond to segregated sensory wholes rather than to specifjc stimuli as isolated and independent events. 3) Individuals respond not to their geographic environment but to their perception of their environment. 4) How the stimuli is organized is a dynamic part of the process and infmuences the perception of the individual. cOntents
The essential question for any Gestalt practitioner is: how does the individual perceive their geographical environment and visual stimuli? Therefore the essential question for any Gestalt theory application is: how should the visual stimuli be arranged in order to facilitate learning, creative problem solving, and insight? cOntents
Application of Gestalt theory in education For Gestalt theorists learning is a special problem of perception. Research in this area has focused on insight. Insight is described as seeing clearly into the heart of a problem. Perceptual reorganization of the environment or stimuli, coupled with the required background knowledge and a period of incubation, can lead to an “a-ha moment” also known as insight. cOntents
For the classroom environment Wertheimer differentiated between arbitrary or “ senseless learning ” and “ meaningful learning .” An example of An example of meaningful learning senseless learning is teaching the relevant structure of is rote memorization. the situation or problem. While Wertheimer did not recommend specifjc teaching methods based upon Gestalt theory, he did advocate for instructors to facilitate students in the reorganization of information and stimuli in order to shift their view of the problem. cOntents
Gestalt theory never attained mainstream status as a learning theory. It lacks a set of clearly defjned principles and its researchers have only presented us with these general suggestions for problem- solving situations: 1) Embed the problem or learning task in concrete, actual situations. 2) The instructor should provided guided discovery during problem solving in the form of cues or hints to help learners reorganize their perception. 3) Do not teach rote memorization. 4) When students get stuck on a problem allow them to take a break, self-refmect and give the insight and solution time to incubate. cOntents
Gestalt theory and Instructional Design Being a family of psychological theories, Gestalt theory has infmuenced many research areas since 1924, including visual design issues. Today, Gestalt theory is considered to be one of the essential foundations for instructional screen design. It is generally accepted that its implementation may improve educational screen design and consequently improve student learning. cOntents
Today, graphic design is actively engaged with the matter of interactivity and audience participation, and Gestalt theory offers a proven method for creating positive human learning experiences. Researchers have identifjed eleven specifjc laws of Gestalt theory that have a signifjcant implication for computerized instructional design. They are: cOntents
1) Balance/symmetry A visual object will appear incomplete if the visual object is not balanced or symmetrical. A psychological sense of equilibrium is usually achieve when visual weight is evenly placed on each side of an axis. cOntents
2) continuation The eye will instinctively derive and follow a direction from a visual fjeld. cOntents
3) closure The mind tends to close gaps and complete unfjnished forms. cOntents
4) Figure-Ground We distinguish the foreground and background in a visual fjeld. The use of two different foreground colors let the viewer perceive different things from the same illustration. cOntents
5) Focal Point Every visual presentation needs a focal point or center of interest to catch the viewer’s attention and guide them to the next appropriate element. cOntents
6) Isomorphic correspondence Viewers interpret images based upon previous experience. cOntents
7) Prägnanz “Good form” is achieved when there is a simple design and/or good layout. cOntents
8) Proximity Items placed near each other will appear to be one large group. Viewers mentally organize close elements into one coherent object. cOntents
9) similarity Items that are similar tend to be grouped together. cOntents
10) simplicity Viewer’s have an unconscious tendency to simplify visual complexity. If the design is too complex or cluttered the viewer may reach unintended conclusions. cOntents
11) Unity/Harmony Viewers can determine an arrangement among elements if they look as if they belong together. If there is disharmony among closely spaced elements then confusion will result. cOntents
Activity: On the following page are individual visual elements for the home page of a educational website. Using the 11 laws of Gestalt Theory for Instructional Design, re-arrange them to create a composition that facilitates user learning. Print out the page, cut out the individual pieces, and arrange them to acheive an online portal that is easy to comprehend and use. cOntents
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References Chang, D.; Dooley, L. and Tuovinen, J. E. “Gestalt Theory in Visual Screen Design— A New Look at an old subject.” In: Selected Papers from the 7th World Conference on Computers in Education (WCCE’01), Copenhagen, Computers in Education 2001: Australian Topics. Melbourne: Australian Computer Society, 2002, p. 5–12. Gredler, M. Learning and Instruction: Theory Into Practice. (5th Ed.) Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ. 2005, p. 48-72. Moszkowicz, J. “Gestalt and Graphic Design: An Exploration of the Humanistic and Therapuetic Effects of Visual Organization.” Design Issues , Autumn 2011, 27( 4), p. 56-67. Preece, J., Rogers, Y., Sharp, H., Benyon, D., Holland, S. and Carey, T. Human Computer Interaction (1st Ed.). Wokingham, England, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1994. cOntents
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