- life ▁applications ▁such ▁as ▁language ▁and ▁speech ▁processing . ▁Transfer ▁of ▁learning ▁is ▁also ▁very ▁useful ▁in ▁teaching ▁students ▁to ▁use ▁higher ▁cogn itive ▁thinking ▁by ▁applying ▁their ▁background ▁knowledge ▁to ▁new ▁situations . ▁ ▁C ogn it iv ism ▁ ▁Gest alt ▁theory ▁C ogn itive ▁theories ▁grew ▁out ▁of ▁Gest alt ▁psych ology . ▁Gest alt ▁psych ology ▁was ▁developed ▁in ▁Germany ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 0 0 s ▁by ▁Wolfgang ▁Koh ler ▁and ▁was ▁brought ▁to ▁America ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 2 0 s . ▁The ▁German ▁word ▁Gest alt ▁is ▁roughly ▁equivalent ▁to ▁the ▁English ▁configuration ▁or ▁organization ▁and ▁emphas izes ▁the ▁whole ▁of ▁human ▁experience . ▁Over ▁the ▁years , ▁the ▁Gest alt ▁psych olog ists ▁provided ▁demonstr ations ▁and ▁described ▁principles ▁to ▁explain ▁the ▁way ▁we ▁organ ize ▁our ▁sens ations ▁into ▁per ception s . ▁Max ▁W ert heimer , ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁found ing ▁f athers ▁of ▁Gest alt ▁Theory , ▁observed ▁that ▁sometimes ▁we ▁interpret ▁motion ▁when ▁there ▁is ▁no ▁motion ▁at ▁all . ▁For ▁example : ▁a ▁power ed ▁sign ▁used ▁at ▁a ▁convenience ▁store ▁to ▁indicate ▁that ▁the ▁store ▁is ▁open ▁or ▁closed ▁might ▁be ▁seen ▁as ▁a ▁sign ▁with ▁" constant ▁light ". ▁However , ▁the ▁lights ▁are ▁actually ▁flash ing . ▁Each ▁light ▁has ▁been ▁program med ▁to ▁bl ink ▁rapidly ▁at ▁their ▁own ▁individual ▁pace . ▁Per ce ived ▁as ▁a ▁whole ▁however , ▁the ▁sign ▁appears ▁fully ▁lit ▁without ▁flash es . ▁If ▁perce