In Gestalt psychology, what is the primary focus of study?

• A. How people perceive and organize sensory information into meaningful wholes
• B. How cognitive development progresses through distinct stages across childhood
• C. How behavior is shaped through reinforcement and punishment over time
• D. How unconscious conflicts from early childhood drive adult personality

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that Gestalt psychology is a school of thought in psychology that emphasizes holistic processing, meaning it focuses on how people perceive entire patterns or configurations rather than just individual components.
2. Recognize that the primary concern of Gestalt psychology is the way sensory information is organized by the brain to form meaningful wholes, rather than analyzing isolated sensory elements.
3. Recall key Gestalt principles such as proximity, similarity, closure, and continuity, which describe how the mind groups sensory stimuli into coherent forms.
4. Differentiate Gestalt psychology from other psychological approaches: cognitive development focuses on stages of mental growth, behaviorism emphasizes reinforcement and punishment, and psychoanalysis centers on unconscious conflicts.
5. Conclude that the primary focus of Gestalt psychology is on perception and the organization of sensory information into meaningful wholes, which explains how we experience complex stimuli as unified objects.