Final answer:
German psychologists in the 1920s developed Gestalt principles, which explain how we perceive visual elements as organized groups and unified wholes. These principles were part of a broader Gestalt psychology movement pioneered by Wertheimer, Köhler, and Kofa.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the 1920s, German psychologists developed the Gestalt principles to describe how people organize visual elements into groups. These principles highlight that humans tend to perceive objects as organized patterns and unified wholes rather than as separate parts. Max Wertheimer, along with his colleagues Wolfgang Köhler and Kurt Kofa, introduced the idea that perception is more than just a sum of sensory inputs; it involves our brain's tendency to pattern perception.
Gestalt principles include the figure-ground relationship, which distinguishes between a figure and its background; the law of proximity, which groups objects that are close to each other; the law of good continuation, which perceives continuous lines rather than disjointed ones; and the principle of closure, which completes objects even if they are incomplete. These principles are crucial for understanding how we perceive sensory information. Despite challenges and geographic relocation, the influence of Gestalt psychology persists, especially in the realms of sensation and perception.