In Gestalt psychology, what is the primary focus when explaining perception and cognition?

• A. How behavior is shaped primarily through reinforcement and punishment histories
• B. How mental processes can be fully explained by breaking experience into basic sensory elements
• C. How people perceive organized wholes and patterns that are different from the sum of their parts
• D. How unconscious conflicts and early childhood experiences determine adult personality

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the core principle of Gestalt psychology, which emphasizes understanding perception and cognition as holistic processes rather than as a collection of separate sensory elements.
2. Recognize that Gestalt psychologists argue that people naturally organize sensory information into meaningful patterns and wholes, which cannot be fully explained by simply analyzing individual parts.
3. Contrast this with other psychological approaches: behaviorism focuses on reinforcement and punishment, structuralism breaks experience into basic elements, and psychoanalysis emphasizes unconscious conflicts and early experiences.
4. Understand that the key Gestalt concept is that 'the whole is different from the sum of its parts,' meaning perception involves integrated, organized wholes.
5. Conclude that the primary focus of Gestalt psychology in explaining perception and cognition is how people perceive organized wholes and patterns, rather than isolated sensory components.