Explanations of Perception
As if a representation of the
premise behind much Gestalt
theory, the configuration of
the whole in this sculpture is
clearly qualitatively different
than the sum of its parts.  The
piece is the cornerstone of the
Montreal Neurological
Institute.  Each child
represents a different element
of brain functioning.  The
child on the far left cupping its
hands around its eyes
illustrates vision.

    In exploring what kinds of
processes lie behind our
perceptions, we need to draw 
on work in four major, and
frequently conflicting,
traditions that inform modern
investigations of perception.
These traditions are the
Inference Theory (usually
associated with the empiricist
perspective), the Gestalt Theory
(associated with the tradition
that emphasized innate
tendencies of mind), the
Stimulus Theory (associated
with the tradition that searches
for correspondences between
physical and sensory variables
and thus sometimes called the
psychophysical approach), and,
most recently, the Information
Processing Approach (in which
the metaphor for mind is the
digital computer).