Chapter 34. Perceptual Grouping

Learning Objectives

closure
in perceptual organization, the tendency to fill in gaps in a figure to perceive a whole, complete shape
connectedness
in perceptual organization, the tendency to perceive objects as a group if they are linked by connecting lines or other shapes
continuity
in perceptual organization, the tendency to group objects so as to perceive smoothly continuous lines
gestalt
an organized, complete, meaningful pattern or shape
Gestalt principles
a set of rules for grouping or organizing individual pieces of information to form a meaningful, complete shape
perception
organizing and interpreting information from the senses to understand its meaning
perceptual grouping
tendency to organize sensory stimuli into coherent groups
proximity
in perceptual organization, the tendency to perceive objects as a group if they occur close together in space
similarity
in perceptual organization, the tendency to perceive objects as a group if they are similar in shape, color, or surface texture
simplicity
in perceptual organization, the tendency to perceive simple, regular, symmetrical shapes rather than complex, unusual shapes
Perceptual Grouping
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true
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In the center, two overlapping circles with a portion of the outer edge of each circle removed, corresponding the the intersection of the two circles; in the left, repeat center image, but fill in the right circle with a semi-transparent color; in the right, repeat center image, but fill in the non-overlapping portions of each circle
Learning Objectives:

Describe six major principles of perceptual grouping.

Identify an example of each major principle of perceptual grouping.

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Photo of one example of cubism in art; prefer human face
Jonathan Woodcock/Getty Images

1. Our brains are constantly filtering sensory information, breaking it down into bits and pieces and assembling the pieces in different ways until we arrive at a perception of the visual scene that makes sense to us.

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Illustration: simple illustration containing the word “GESTALT” presented in a visually interesting way, the seven letters in the word have a unified appearance

2. How do we decide which of the pieces belong together? The principles of perceptual grouping were first identified by researchers called the Gestalt psychologists (Gestalt is a German word translated as a "complete form" or a "whole figure"). We now refer to those rules as the Gestalt principles of perceptual organization.

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illustration: the seven letters in the word GESTALT, with each letter uniquely representing some aspect of the Gestalt principles, such as closure, similarity, connectedness, continuity, proximity, or simplicity.

3. Six of the important Gestalt principles are proximity (grouping nearby objects); similarity (grouping objects that have the same shape or color); continuity (grouping objects to form smooth, continuous shapes); connectedness (grouping objects that are linked by lines); closure (filling in gaps between objects to form a complete shape); and simplicity (grouping objects to form the most familiar, symmetrical shape possible).

Practice 1: Proximity

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Practice 1: Proximity

Select the PLAY button to demonstrate the proximity principle.

The proximity principle of perceptual grouping flows from the spatial relationships among objects. We have a tendency to perceive objects as a group if they occur close together in space. In the figure below, we tend to group the six lines into three sets of two lines (or three thin pipes) on the basis of proximity. We generally do not group the lines into two wide pipes enclosed in a larger pipe.

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Practice 2: Similarity

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Practice 2: Similarity

Select the PLAY button to watch the similarity principle in action.

The similarity principle states that we tend to perceive objects as a group if they are similar in shape, color, or surface texture. We perceive the figures below as rows of similar objects rather than as columns of mixed objects.

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Practice 3: Closure

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Practice 3: Closure

Select each of the PLAY buttons to demonstrate the closure principle.

The closure principle of perceptual grouping predicts that we will perceive "broken" or incomplete lines as complete objects by filling in the gaps. Keep in mind that what you are actually “seeing” are only dark blobs on a light background. Your brain fills in the spaces between the blobs so that you “perceive” complete, recognizable shapes.

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Practice 4: Connectedness

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Practice 4: Connectedness

Select the PLAY button to demonstrate the connectedness principle.

According to the principle of connectedness, we tend to perceive objects as a group if they are linked by connecting lines or other shapes. For example, in the set of blue circles below, there are no connecting lines, so your perceptual system probably groups the center two circles together according to proximity. However, when you select the PLAY button, the lines connecting the circles help you group the left two circles together and the right two circles together.

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Practice 5: Continuity

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Practice 5: Continuity

Select the PLAY button to demonstrate the continuity principle.

The continuity principle states that we tend to group objects so as to perceive smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones. In the figure below, we tend to group the gray curves together to form a smooth, continuous line, rather than treating each curve as a separate object.

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Practice 6: Simplicity

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Practice 6: Simplicity

Select the PLAY button to demonstrate the simplicity principle.

According to the simplicity principle, we tend to group objects so as to perceive the simplest, most symmetrical object possible from the raw sensory data. For example, if the sensory information can be organized to produce a square, or circle, or triangle, that is probably what we will perceive.

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Quiz 1

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Quiz 1

Match the Gestalt principles to their descriptions by dragging each colored circle to the appropriate gray circle. When all the circles have been placed, select the CHECK ANSWER button.

Select the NEXT button and move to Quiz 2.
Perhaps you should go back to review Gestalt principles.
proximity
similarity
closure
connectedness
continuity
simplicity
tendency to perceive objects as a group if they are linked by lines or other shapes
tendency to perceive objects as a group if they occur close together in space
tendency to group objects so as to perceive smooth, predictable lines
tendency to fill in gaps in a figure to perceive a whole, complete shape
tendency to perceive objects as a group if they have the same shape, color, or surface texture
tendency to perceive symmetrical, familiar shapes rather than complex, unusual shapes

Quiz 2

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Quiz 2

Drag each grouping principle to the gray area near the matching illustration. When all grouping principles have been placed, select the CHECK ANSWER button.

Select the NEXT button and move to the Conclusion.
Perhaps you should go back to review the grouping principles.
The quiz has two columns of three images. The following are the images in the left column from top to bottom. The first image is four dots with lines connecting two dots so as to form two pairs of dots. The second image is a blue bar with a line a series of half circles above and below the bar. This appears to be a curved line that goes below, then above, and then below the bar. The third image is three pairs of vertical lines. These appear to form three narrow pipes. The following are the images in the right column from top to bottom. The first image is a series of green dots that seem to form a five-sided shape. The second image is two vertical lines with a diamond shape between them. The third image includes four rows and four columns of circles. The first and third columns are yellow, while the second and fourth columns are blue. The options for identifying the Gestalt principle evident in each image include the following: proximity, similarity, connectedness, closure, continuity, and simplicity.
proximity
similarity
connectedness
closure
continuity
simplicity

Conclusion

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