NCIDQ IDFX Practice Exam

Which of the following is NOT a principle of gestalt psychology?

1. Context

2. Variation

3. Figure-ground

4. Direction

The correct answer is: Variation

In gestalt psychology, the principles focus on how we perceive visual elements as wholes rather than just as a sum of parts. The key principles include aspects like context, which influences how we interpret objects based on their surrounding elements, and figure-ground, which helps us distinguish objects from their backgrounds. Variation, while it may relate to aesthetics or design in a broader sense, is not formally recognized as a core principle of gestalt psychology. Instead, the emphasis in gestalt theory is on specific perceptual mechanisms that provide insight into how we organize visual information. As such, variation does not align with the established principles surrounding perception in gestalt psychology, making it the correct choice in this scenario.