However, author Ray Jackendoff believes that the senses are constantly active and often fill in gaps that might be missing. Jackendoff notes that Aristotle neglected to discuss the idea that humans often add in concepts that may not be visible. It is clear that there are many similarities between modern day knowledge on perception and Aristotle beliefs. .
Gestalt psychology has many ideas on visual perception. Gestalt psychology originated just before World War I and has contributed to research in thought, memory and problem-solving. Gestalt proposed that humans see objects in groups rather than individually. For example, while looking at a large room humans tend to concentrate on defined large objects, not small detailed things. Gestalt's main idea is grouping or the way humans may perceive a "visual field." He states that there are different components to the proposal of grouping. He claims that proximity, similarity, closure and simplicity all play a role in the way humans perceive things. These ideas show that items are often grouped based on patterns, similar form, closeness and symmetry. All of these definitions play an intricate role in the way people can solve problems and see objects.
There are different laws discussing how people often see things in groups rather than separately. Among these laws are the law of proximity and the law of common fate. The law of proximity states that if objects are in close distance to each other, they tend to be seen together. For example, if there are six rows of dots a person will see the rows as a whole unit, rather than individual dots. The law of common fate says that objects moving in the same direction are also seen as groups. If six dots are moving together a human would most likely interpret the dots as one unit. Gestalt's laws help to explain this main idea of grouping. These laws work with each other and give us a better understanding of this concept.
