Which term refers to the practice of overlooking incomplete stimuli to project a complete image?

The term that refers to the practice of overlooking incomplete stimuli to project a complete image is closure. Closure is a perceptual phenomenon where the brain fills in gaps in visual information to create a coherent whole, even when some parts of the visual input are missing or incomplete. This cognitive process allows individuals to perceive objects as complete, even if the stimuli are not fully present.

For example, when viewing an incomplete shape, such as a circle missing a segment, the brain tends to perceive it as a complete circle instead of recognizing it as an incomplete figure. This ability is important in various aspects of perception and plays a crucial role in how we interpret and make sense of our surroundings.

In contrast, similarity refers to the tendency to group together objects or figures that appear similar in characteristics, which does not specifically involve the completion of incomplete images. Proximity focuses on how objects that are close to each other are often perceived as part of the same group, rather than how the mind fills in visual gaps. The halo effect is a cognitive bias that occurs when the perception of one positive trait influences the overall perception of an individual or object, which does not relate to the completion of visual stimuli.