Deck 15: The Gestalt Movement

Question 1

Among Koffka's writings was:

A) a paper on the phi phenomenon.
B) a book on the mentality of apes.
C) an introduction to Gestalt psychology for Americans.
D) an introduction to phenomenology for Germans.
E) a paper on personality and field theory.

Answer 1

an introduction to Gestalt psychology for Americans.

Question 2

As a movement within psychology, Gestalt theory was initially:

A) a reaction against structural psychology.
B) a reaction against act psychology.
C) a reaction against functional psychology.
D) an attempt to extend empiricism.
E) an attempt to salvage introspection.

Answer 2

a reaction against structural psychology.

Question 3

Köhler's early work in Gestalt psychology focused on:

A) the phi phenomenon.
B) depth perception.
C) problem solving in apes.
D) trial-and-error learning.
E) conditioned reflexes.

Answer 3

problem solving in apes.

Question 4

Wertheimer was led to the early expression of Gestalt principles from his work on:

A) the transposition of tonal melodies.
B) apparent movement.
C) depth perception.
D) color vision.
E) isomorphism.

Question 5

When introduced to American psychology, the Gestalt movement:

A) became the dominant system of psychology.
B) was largely irrelevant.
C) was out of synchrony with the zeitgeist of American psychology.
D) seriously challenged functional psychology.
E) seriously challenged structural psychology.

Question 6

The correspondence between the perceptual field and brain field was termed:

A) transposition.
B) transference.
C) isomorphism.
D) cortical excitation.
E) electrochemical mediation.

Question 7

The tendency to complete incomplete figures was termed:

A) assimilation.
B) convergence.
C) closure.
D) object constancy.
E) proximity.

Question 8

Külpe's Würzburg school:

A) supported the findings of structural psychology.
B) advocated the view of sensory consciousness.
C) advocated the view of nonsensory consciousness.
D) objected to the early writings of the Gestalt psychologists.
E) suggested the existence of innate ideas.

Question 9

According to Gestalt principles, individual psychology is the product of:

A) person-environment interactions.
B) innate ideas.
C) physiological mechanisms.
D) immediate experience.
E) mental reactions to environmental stimuli.

Question 10

Lewin:

A) founded Gestalt psychology.
B) applied Gestalt principles.
C) relied on sensory determination.
D) proposed that group dynamics were isomorphic.
E) focused on statistical predictions of group dynamics.

Question 11

Wertheimer's later research on thought processes led him to:

A) believe in sensory elements.
B) support the principles of conditioning.
C) support innate ideas.
D) support creative strategies in problem solving.
E) develop a theory of higher consciousness devoid of sensory experience.

Question 12

The tendency to retain the stability of figures despite changes in stimulus characteristics was termed:

A) assimilation.
B) convergence.
C) closure.
D) object constancy.
E) proximity.

Question 13

A phenomenological approach in psychology:

A) recognizes the unity of experience perceived by the individual.
B) views mental activity in terms of the elements of consciousness.
C) views mental activity as devoid of environmental influences.
D) analyzes consciousness into causal parts.
E) reinforces the validity of the experimental method.

Question 14

Gestalt psychology succeeded in replacing:

A) structural psychology in Germany.
B) structural psychology in America.
C) act psychology in Germany.
D) empiricism with introspection.
E) empiricism with phenomenology.

Question 15

The Gestalt movement influence the view of behavior as:

A) elements of stimulus-response associations.
B) a sensory process.
C) organized fields.
D) a collection of isomorphic traces.
E) trial-and-error learning.

Question 16

Husserl's phenomenology and Gestalt theory:

A) were in agreement on the substance of psychology.
B) were in opposition on the substance of psychology.
C) reached the same conclusions from different directions.
D) were the products of the same intellectual forces.
E) were both opposed to empiricism.

Question 17

The term gestalt expresses the basic view of psychological events as:

A) elements reducible to causal parts.
B) analyzed into physiological components.
C) metaphysical abstractions.
D) organized, unified, and coherent phenomena.
E) atomistic systems of consciousness.

Question 18

The modern expression of phenomenology was proposed by:

A) Brentano.
B) Stumpf.
C) Husserl.
D) Wertheimer.
E) Köhler.

Question 19

In America, Gestalt psychology:

A) was absorbed into functional psychology.
B) was absorbed into structural psychology.
C) was absorbed into behavioral psychology.
D) accepted the basis of psychology in introspection.
E) accepted the basis of psychology in reflexology.

Question 20

The critical dimension in comparisons of environmental objects was the:

A) characteristics of parts.
B) relations between the parts.
C) addition of the parts.
D) elements of the parts.
E) analysis of the parts.

Question 21

In Lewin's theory, the directional action of a person in the environmental space was termed a:

A) valence.
B) vector.
C) barrier.
D) drive.
E) tension.

Question 22

For Lewin, the interactive field of a person is called the:

A) isomorphic space.
B) perceptual space.
C) dynamic field.
D) transpositional space.
E) hodological space.

Question 23

Lewin's views were attractive because he:

A) relied on Gestalt theory.
B) studied complex activities not accommodated elsewhere.
C) viewed social dynamics in terms of sensory elements.
D) believed personality is a self-contained energy system.
E) explained the complexities of discrimination learning.

Question 24

According to Lewin, internal conflict may be resolved by:

A) two opposing vectors.
B) transpositional learning.
C) mental barriers.
D) changing of valences.
E) selective repressions.