Question

At the House of Reptiles, 3-year-old Sinead is intrigued by a motionless python snake in a large cage with three parallel viewing windows. Sinead cries out, "Look mommy, a snake!" According to Gestalt psychology, how does Sinead know that the snake is not broken into individual segments?

Answer 1

Answer:    The principle of continuity

Explanation:  The Gestalt Continuity Law refers to how the human brain perceives the line-elements that are grouped. Continuity theory refers in fact to the tendency of the brain to see the constituent elements as a whole, that is, the elements belong to a whole, a continuous representation of something.  In this case, the brain of little Sinead perceived that all the elements that are part of the exhibit snake make up the whole, and with the perception of the brain, they continue into the living snake.

The essence of this theory is that, for example, the line is perceived as a continuation of some imagined, established direction.