Day 9 of 150 Pattern Difficulty 2/10
Proximity makes nearby elements feel like one group
Quick answer
Proximity makes nearby elements feel like one group. Today's question (Gestalt grouping) asks about a finding from Wertheimer, M. in 1923. The correct option is Proximity — full explanation, primary source, and glossary cross-links below.
Today's question
When you see • • • • • as one group rather than five separate dots, this illustrates the Gestalt principle of:
Reveal the answer and explanation
Correct: C — Proximity
Wertheimer (1923) formalized the Gestalt grouping laws. Proximity groups elements that are close together; similarity groups by visual resemblance (color, shape, size); closure fills in gaps so we perceive complete forms; common fate groups elements that share motion. The whole becomes perceptually different from — and prior to — the sum of its parts. The principles still ground modern design and computer-vision heuristics.
About the source
Wertheimer, M. (1923). Untersuchungen zur Lehre von der Gestalt II. Psychologische Forschung, 4(1), 301–350.
Every Cognition Bible question cites a primary source — a paper, book chapter, or monograph that exists, that we can point to on Google Scholar, and whose finding the question accurately summarizes. No fabricated authority strings, no name-drops without paper-level grounding.
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