Inclusiveness means that we'll see all elements of an image before we see parts of it. In other words, we see objects with similar sizes, shapes, and colors as a whole figure. The closer together they are, we tend to see them as a group, even if they don't have any connection to each other.Ĭontinuity means that we tend to group things based on patterns. Proximity is grouping things according to how physically close they are to each other. Items that have the same shape, size, and color make up parts of the pattern that belong together.

Similarity refers to grouping things that look like each other. There are six main principles of organizing things:

Without making a conscious effort, our brains attempt to group things to help us understand and interpret our world. Grouping Things: Six Main Principles Of Organizing Things Many of their points are valid, but we're far from a consensus, so it’s important to consider perception psychology a work in progress. Researchers have developed various theories on perception over time. The definition of perception psychology is studying how we process the information that our senses give us.

We can define perception as being able to process information that we receive from our senses. It happens without our conscious awareness.Īs we receive sensory inputs, we can convert them into perceptions of flowers, foods, cars, animals, and other things we see regularly. For example, if you smell a large, ripe strawberry, you'd probably develop a fast response to want to eat it. Different senses are interconnected and have an impact on each other. Our brains process different types of sensory information at the same time. Your friend may see a different image in the clouds than you do, and you may or may not be able to envision what your friend sees and vice versa.

Let's revisit that lazy afternoon lying on the grass, staring up at the clouds, and say that your best friend is lying next to you and also staring up into the clouds. Different people perceive the same situations in different ways. Our brains try to process images by identifying them, organizing them into a pattern, and interpreting sensory information to make sense of the world we live in. If you stare at it long enough and then look away, you may still see the image appear. Once you see it, it becomes difficult to gaze at the clouds and 'un-see' them. After a while, you might begin to form an image within the clouds. If you've ever laid in the grass and gazed up into the clouds, at first, you might see clouds.

Perception