Max Wertheimer: 2 ideas worth knowing

2 ideas from Max Wertheimer, each explained in a minute and credited to the original work. Free on Savvy.

Your brain glues scattered dots into shapes before you even try
In 1923, Max Wertheimer catalogued the rules your visual system uses to bundle raw fragments into objects: things close together, similar in shape or color, or moving in unison get…
— Max Wertheimer, Laws of Organization in Perceptual Forms
Two still lights flashing in sequence can trick your brain into seeing motion
In 1912, Max Wertheimer flashed two stationary lights in quick succession and observers perceived a single light moving between them — motion that never actually happened. He calle…
— Max Wertheimer, Experimentelle Studien über das Sehen von Bewegung

Five ideas worth knowing, every week