Gestalt psychology : A survey of facts and principles / George W. Hartmann.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hartmann, George W., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gestalt psychology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiii, 325 pages)

Other Title:

Gestalt psychology

Place of Publication:

New York : Ronald Press Company, 1935.

Summary:

"This volume is an attempt to bring together in convenient form all the material necessary for a more than superficial understanding of the subject with which it deals. It is intended to be read with profit by anyone who has had a first course in elementary psychology. Essentially, I have aimed to give a sympathetic picture of the Gestalt system from the standpoint of a non-configurationist, although I must confess that an examination of the evidence has left me more favorably disposed toward the theory than I had originally anticipated. The busy reader and student should find here the gist of the most significant documents in this field, which should give a background that will make possible an intelligent reading of the new material constantly being prepared and issued under Gestalt influence. Economy and pithiness of expression have been sought throughout, and in an effort to attain the maximum of compactness, liberal use has been made of quotations, both direct and condensed. More sources than actually appear in the references have been examined with an eye to inclusion in some way or other. As implied above, the necessity for brevity has always been regarded, otherwise the volume would have inevitably expanded into a digest of psychology in general, for it is very easy to cross the loose boundaries of the Gestalt domain. The experimental mass may seem a bit unwieldy but in emphasizing the laboratory products of research motivated by the Gestalt principle I am stressing what I am persuaded will prove the most permanent contribution of all"--Preface. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).

Contents:

Part I

-Historical The Antecedents and Development of the Doctrine 3 (28) Wertheimer's experiment: the problem of origin Mach and Ehrenfels The contribution of Wilhelm Dilthey Other German theorists of the `nineties Stout's position The work of William James Dewey and the biological trend Contributions of David Katz and Karl Buhler Rubin and experimental phenomenology Part II

-Theoretical The Physical Basis of the Gestalt Theory 31 (22) Kohler's naturalism Gestalt and relativity The Physiological Foundations 53 (10) Lashley's cerebral studies Driesch's embryological experiments Weiss' transplantation work Marina's eye-muscle surgery Coghill and Minkowski on the origin of reflexes The Philosophical Foundations 63 (15) Wertheimer's anti-synthetic position Lewin on scientific method Wheeler's organismic laws Varieties of Gestalt Theory 78 (15) Krueger and the Leipzig school Sander The hunger studies of David Katz Different attempts to solve the part-whole problem Part III

-Empirical Phenomena of Visual Perception 93 (39) Sensation and perception: fundamental laws Dependence of form and space qualities upon the configuration Dependence of brightness and color qualities upon the configuration Movement as conditioned by the gestalt Constancy effects in vision Studies in Audition and the Skin Senses 132 (9) Experiments in the perception of sound The skin senses The Unity of the Senses 141 (11) Hornbostel Further evidence of intersensory relations Werner's sensation-stages Memory Processes 152 (7) Wulf's experiment and its American extensions Inadequacy of associationism Learning: Data and Interpretations 159 (20) The anthropoid studies The nature of mental development Ogden's new laws of learning Thinking and Reasoning 179 (8) Primitive thought Formal logic Closure Relation versus Gestalt Researches on Insight 187 (15) Terminology Varieties of insight Patterns and learning Thorndike and belongingness Humor Action, Emotion, and Will 202 (39) Lewin's theory of psychic tensions Value and meaning Reward and punishment Contributions of Lewin's pupils Part IV

-Practical Mental Pathology 241 (11) The work of Gelb and Goldstein and their associates Contributions to psychiatry Speech deficiency Industrial and Personnel Suggestions 252 (6) Business possibilities Estimating personality Application to Educational Problems 258 (19) Changes in policy and teaching method Intelligence testing Theory of experimentation Kinship with progressive education Athletics Aesthetics Ethics Part V

-Critical Criticisms of Gestalt Theory by other Schools of Thought 277 (23) The Muller-Kohler debate Rignano-Kohler controversy Scheerer's judgment Brunswik's interpretation Petermann's analysis Helson's verdict Woodworth and the critique of the eclectics The configurationist's defense Conclusion: The Present Status of the Gestalt School 300 (2) A Note on Bibliographies 302 (1) Biographies 303 (2) Chronology of Significant Dates and Events in the Development of Gestalt Psychology 305 (2) Glossary 307 (8) Index 315.

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (Ronald Press Company, viewed June 2, 2023).