Prägnanzn.
/ˈprɛɡnants/, U.S. /ˈprɛɡˌnɑnz/ Psychology.
In gestalt theory: a combination of the greatest possible simplicity, regularity, stability, and conformity to a meaningful or concisely definable context, that provides the criterion by which multiple sensory perceptions are unconsciously organized. law or rule or principle of Prägnanz n. the tendency for sensory perceptions to be organized in this manner.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > psychology > psychology of perception > object of perception > structure perceived as a whole > [noun] > tendency to conciseness
Prägnanz1931
pregnance1948
1931 Amer. Jrnl. Psychol. 43 1 One may ask..whether, in seeking to account for any such new psychophysical errors, fruitful reference can be made to configurational principles such as the ‘Law of Prägnanz’.
1938 Mind 47 91 In this connection the criticism of Gestalt, and particularly of the Law of Prägnanz, implicit in certain experiments carried out by Thouless is very relevant.
1963 J. Mann Frontiers of Psychol. iv. 131 The basic nature of human data-receiving and processing equipment, which organizes perceptual data without the conscious awareness of consent of the perceiver. An example of such a tendency is the law of Prägnanz.
1988 W. R. Uttal On Seeing Forms iii. 154 An equilateral arrangement of three dots displays the highest degree of ‘Prägnanz’ for a triangle, even though it could be forced or perceptually stressed to represent three points on a circle.
1994 Psychol. Res. 56 224 There is quite widespread agreement about the relevance of pattern Prägnanz..with respect to the human interpretation of visual patterns.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1931