Explain the major principles of Gestalt psychology and discuss two specific laws

This perspective believes that that the brain is designed to seek patterns. The theory claims that much of this innate. The theory also claims that "the whole is more than the sum of its parts." After describing the perspective, the student must then name and describe two principles, which include: figure-ground (figure is seen as closer than background), closure (we mentally "fill in" missing elements), the law of similarity (we mentally group similar things together), the law of proximity (we mentally group items that are nearby one another together), the law of continuity (we prefer smoothly connected figures), the law of common fate (moving objects are perceived as being in a group), and the law of Pragnanz (we tend to perceive the simplest pattern).