Understanding the Principle of Closure

Hard Unit 3: Sensation & Perception Perception

In the field of psychology, perception involves the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the environment. One theory that attempts to explain how we perceive patterns and wholes is Gestalt psychology. According to Gestalt principles, we are predisposed to perceive certain patterns in our sensory inputs. One of these principles, particularly relevant to the perception of grouped elements, is the principle of closure. Which of the following scenarios exemplifies the principle of closure in perception?

A person sees a partially obscured object and recognizes it based on familiarity with similar items.

A viewer interprets a series of disconnected dots as a complete shape, like a circle.

When looking at a picture of a mountain, an individual wonders about the processes that led to its formation.

A child hears a melody and hums along, even when parts of it are missing.

An observer accurately identifies a smell from a distant source but cannot determine its origin.

Hint

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