Abstract

We propose that when a whole differs from the sum of its parts by the appearance of certain Emergent Features, the result is a unitary object or Gestalt rather than a mere collection of parts. We hypothesize that the essence of a Gestalt is the presence of those EFs, and that EFs both lead to, and can then be diagnosed from, configural superiority wherein combinations of parts are perceived more quickly and accurately than are the parts alone. Using this approach, we confirm a number of EFs at the simplest level of static visual forms whose parts are dots or line segments.