CLOSURE AND FLEXIBILITY OF CLOSURE AS IT RELATES TO WORD PERCEPTION.

The present study, which investigated closure and flexibility of closure as it relates to word perception, was based on the assumption that closure processes as understood in perception, were the same or similar to closure processes underlying the perception of words. Closure, primarily investigated in perception, was described as the phenomenal completion of incomplete stimuli. Flexibility of closure was identified as a dynamic function inherent in Wertheimer's laws of perceptual organization and has been studied in perception (optical illusions) and inductive reasoning processes. Words in this study consisted of single and/or multiple letters. Several studies have utilized printed words to demonstrate closure phenomena in perception. In this study, a simple demonstration and a general overview of closure dynamics served to illustrate the function of closure and flexibility of closure in word perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]