Kurt Koffka

Kurt Koffka
Kurt Koffka
Born March 18, 1886 (1886-03-18)
Berlin
Died November 22, 1941 (1941-11-23)
Northampton

Kurt Koffka (Berlin, March 18, 1886 - Northampton, November 22, 1941) was a German psychologist. He was born and educated in Berlin and earned his PhD there in 1909 as a student of Carl Stumpf. In addition to his studies in Berlin, Koffka also spent one year at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland where he developed his strong fluency in English, a skill that later served him well in his efforts to spread Gestalt psychology beyond German borders. Koffka was already working at the University of Frankfurt when Max Wertheimer arrived in 1910 and invited Koffka to participate as a subject in his research on the phi phenomenon.

Koffka left Frankfurt in 1912 to take a position at the University of Giessen, forty miles from Frankfurt, where he remained until 1924. Putting his English fluency to the test, Koffka then traveled to the United States, where he was a visiting professor at the Cornell University from 1924 to 1925, and two years later at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Eventually, in 1927, he accepted a position at the Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, where he remained until his death in 1941.

Contents

Personal life

In 1909, Koffka married Mira Klein, who was an experimental subject in Koffka's research. They remained married until 1923 when he divorced Klein and married Elisabeth Ahlgrimm who had recently finished her Ph.D at Giessen. However, they were divorced in the same year, and Koffka remarried Klein.[1]

Theories on learning

Koffka believed that most of early learning is what he referred to as, "sensorimotor learning," which is a type of learning which occurs after a consequence. For example, a child who touches a hot stove will learn not to touch it again. Koffka also believed that a lot of learning occurs by imitation, though he argued that it is not important to understand how imitation works, but rather to acknowledge that it is a natural occurrence. According to Koffka, the highest type of learning is ideational learning, which makes use of language. Koffka notes that an important time in children's development is when they understand that objects have names.[2]

Works

  • (1922) Perception: An Introduction to the Gestalt Theorie.
  • (1924) Growth of the Mind
  • (1935) Principles of Gestalt Psychology

References

  1. ^ Koffka, Kurt, Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology, 2nd ed. Gale Group, 2001.
  2. ^ A History of Psychology: Ideas and Context. King, Viney, and Woody, 2009.

External links

See also


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Kurt Koffka — (* 18. März 1886 in Berlin; † 22. November 1941 in Northampton, Massachusetts) war ein deutscher Psychologe. Er zählt mit Max Wertheimer und Wolfgang Köhler zu den Begründern der Gestaltpsychologie bzw. der Gestalttheorie. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kurt Koffka — (1886 1941) est un psychologue allemand, l un des fondateurs de la psychologie de la forme avec Max Wertheimer et Wolfgang Köhler. Sommaire 1 Biographie 2 Contribution à la psychologie 3 Voir aussi …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Kurt Koffka — (Berlín, 18 de marzo de 1886 † Northampton, 22 de noviembre de 1941) nació, se educó en Berlín y obtuvo su doctorado allí en 1909 como estudiante de Carl Stumpf, ese mismo año se casó con Mira Klein. Además de sus estudios en Berlín, Koffka… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Kurt Lewin — Kurt Tsadek Lewin (* 9. September 1890 in Mogilno, Provinz Posen; † 12. Februar 1947 in Newtonville, Massachusetts) gilt als einer der einflussreichsten Pioniere der Psychologie. Er ist einer der Begründer der modernen experimentellen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Koffka — ist der Name folgender Personen: Friedrich Koffka (1888–1951), deutscher Jurist und Schriftsteller Kurt Koffka (1886–1941), deutscher Psychologe Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung mehrerer mit demselben …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kurt Goldstein (Neurologe) — Kurt Goldstein (* 6. November 1878 in Kattowitz; † 19. September 1965 in New York), Neurologe und Psychiater, gilt als Pionier der Neuropsychologie und der Psychosomatik. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 2 Schaffen 3 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kurt Gottschaldt — (* 25. April 1902 in Dresden; † 24. März 1991 in Göttingen) gilt als einer der wichtigsten Vertreter der ersten Generation der Schule der Gestaltpsychologie bzw. der Gestalttheorie in Deutschland (zusammen mit Wolfgang Metzger und Edwin Rausch).… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • KOFFKA, KURT — (1886–1941), U.S. psychologist; one of the founders of Gestalt psychology. He was born and educated in Berlin. Working as an assistant at Frankfurt, he came under the influence of max wertheimer and served as a subject in the first studies of… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • KOFFKA (K.) — KOFFKA KURT (1886 1941) L’un des principaux théoriciens du mouvement gestaltiste. Né à Berlin, où il fait ses études, Koffka s’intéresse vivement à la science et à la philosophie. Il suit les cours de Carl Stumpf et obtient son doctorat en 1909.… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Koffka — Koffka, Kurt …   Enciclopedia Universal

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”