organising parts that make up the stimulus of what we can see
gives us a more complete perception, so the whole that we end up
with is worth more than the sum of all the individual parts
Figure and ground
a small, complex, symmetrical object (figure) is
seen as separate from a background (ground)
figure is complex, small and symmetrical
ground is simple, large and disorganised
Similarity
figures sharing size, shape or colour
are grouped together with other things
that look the same
we group together things with the same
characteristics and separate them from things
which look different
Proximity
objects which are close together are perceived to be related
we tend to see some things as grouped because they are close together
Continuity
straight lines, curves and shapes are perceived to carry on
being the same
we link things that follow a predictable pattern, this makes
them look as if they are continuous or joined, even if they
are not
Closure
lines or shapes are perceived as
complete figures even if parts are
missing
when we organise perception we fill in the gaps, instead of seeing lines, we make the
lines into complete edges and therefore perceive a shape surrounded by the line