PSY 005 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Gestalt Psychology, Kurt Koffka, Psy

• School: College of The Sequoias
• Department: Psychology (PSY)
• Course: PSY 005
• Professor: Lewis

Document Summary

Another theoretical viewpoint of social psychology is cognitive theory, the fundamental concept of which is that the mental behaviors of individuals are essential determinants of social actions. Such mental tasks, called cognitive processes, include vision, memory, judgment, problem-solving, and decision-making. Cognitive theory does not dispute the significance of external stimuli, but insists that the relation between stimulus and response is not mechanical or automatic. Rather, the cognitive processes of the person interact with external stimuli and behavioral responses. Individuals not only consciously perceive the significance of stimuli, but also choose the actions to be taken in response. Historically, the theoretical approach to social science has been influenced by the theories of koffka, kohler, and other thinkers of the gestalt psychological. Central to gestalt psychology is the idea that people respond to stimulus combinations rather than to a single, discrete stimulus.