In the final analysis, structure and experience interact to create our reality.
The Behaviorists, on the other hand (mostly centered in the United States), used an objective approach to their research. They might, for example, stick a subject with a pin and then measure how much he jumped or how loudly he yelled.
They placed emphasis on the importance of past experiences to build up one‰s perceptual skills.
Not only were both schools of thought right, but equally important, to me, is the dynamic interaction that occurs between the two sides of perception.
Although, I will discuss both independently, when I talk about the contribution of one, the influence of the other will always be evident.
Focusing for the moment on the Gestaltists, they, using their subjective methods, teased out scores of ways in which our central nervous system automatically structures incoming impulses. Let‰s talk about three for now: The Best Figure Possible; Figure-ground and Closure.