Rules of Perceptual Organization: Similarity

The similarity rule deals with the gestalt principle that we perceive things as a whole. Parts of a visual field that are similar to each other tend to be perceived as belonging together as a unit.  Objects that are similar in color or shape are usually perceived as belonging to the same group. The photo of goldfish above is a good example of similarity since we see 2 different patterns. The brain groups them together by the color and direction they are facing. When one looks at this picture, they pick out the columns of horizontal orange goldfish as being grouped together and the columns white vertical goldfish together.