What is the law of Prägnanz? Describe the importance of this law to Gestalt psychology.
Pragnanz is a German word which has no particular meaning in English but an estimate is “precise” or “full with meaning”. The law of pragnanz is defined as organization of brain is good when the prevailing conditions that surround it are also good like in any other force fields. This also emphasizes that all brain’s cognitive abilities are symmetrical, simple, regular, and organized at any particular time.
The Gestaltists showed that the relationship between the law of pragnanz and cognitive abilities or force fields in the brain. According to them, the magnetic fields and soap bubbles configuration is same as configuration in the brain. The physical force fields interact together and provide energy to form these configurations. These physical forces interact with each other and allot themselves in symmetrical and simple ways.
So, psychophysical isomorphism principle indicates that the mental and cognitive abilities should be simple and symmetrical.