Sensation is the physical feeling or perception resulting from something that happens to or come into contact with the body. Perception is the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through senses.
Gestalt Principles
Figure-Ground
A type of perceptual grouping that is necessary for recognizing objects through vision.
In Psychology, this is known as identifying a figure or subject from the background.
An example, is having black words printed on white paper. The figure is the black words, and the background is the white color.
This can make illusions confusing. The image shows either a white vase, or two people.
Similarity
Similarity: A sameness or a likeness, when comparing two things.
Differences: the opposite of similarity, where there is a clear distinction between two things.
This can be comparing aspects of, physical size, ideas, experiences, or objects
There can be an intimidate distinction between similarities and differences.
Example: Both squares and rectangles have four sides, but are different sizes
The example picture shown gives two different colors of circles, giving the clear distinction between the similar colored circles.
Proximity
Objects or shapes that are perceptually or relatively close together
Depending on how close or or far away the items appear, they can appear as grouped together
An example is in writing where there are spaces in between words. This allows the reader to understand, and differentiate the meaning of the text.
Common Region
Items with in the boundary or the same region of space can be grouped together.
They are visually grouped together as sharing a common characteristic or functionality.
The example shown, illustrates the two visual boxes around specific circles, allowing them to be grouped together.
Continuity
A tendency to create continuous patterns and perceive connected objects as uninterrupted.
The eyes naturally follow the lines with the same color, size, or that can create closure.
The example shown in the picture, show two diverging lines that are symmetrical in shape; however has two different colors. The viewer's eye follows the same colored line.
Closure
The illusion of perceiving an incomplete or stimulus that is organized in patterns as if it were whole.
This process occurs unconsciously, and closes the gaps between the stimulus.
This could also occur because of previous experiences seeing a whole stimulus, and filling in the gaps through closure.
The example shown in the picture, shows the stimulus of pentagons in different angles. However, because of closure the viewer closes the shape and it appears as a soccer ball.
Focal Point
The center of attention or activity, where the viewer's eye is drawn to.
It could also be the point of where all of the elements of the picture or aspects converge together.
The focal point can be used with converging straight lines, the subject, color, shape, or a tunnel of vision.
The example shown has the focal point of a red square among black circles. With different characteristics and aspects, the square is able to stand out.
Perception
Visual Cliff
Babies develop the ability of a fear of a cliff at a crawling age
This experiment was created by Eleanor J. Gibson, who tested to see if infants developed depth perception.
This test was preformed by having a counter top that had half of it solid and the other side having either clear plastic or glass.
The picture shown illustrates the table used to conduct the visual cliff experiment.
Interposition
When an object appears to block the view of another, we assume that the blocking object is in a specific position relative to distance.
This assumption can be used to create illusions.
In the picture, it illustrates how the interposition creates an unnatural image.
Relative Size
The determination of how close objects are to an object of a known size.
These assumptions can be false or incorrect, but is typically an accurate way to estimate sizes
In the picture, there are three soccer balls that appear to have different sizes, because how close they are.
Linear Perspective
A system of creating an illusion of depth on a flat surface. Parallel lines are used to meet the vanishing point on the horizon line.
The picture describes the vanishing point and the parallel lines contributing to the picture.