Editing Structural information theory (section)

== The simplicity principle ==

A simplest code is a code with minimum information load, that is, a code that enables a reconstruction of the stimulus using a minimum number of descriptive parameters. Such a code is obtained by capturing a maximum amount of visual regularity and yields a hierarchical organization of the stimulus in terms of wholes and parts.

The assumption that the visual system prefers simplest interpretations is called the simplicity principle.<ref>Hochberg, J. E., & McAlister, E. (1953). A quantitative approach to figural "goodness". ''Journal of Experimental Psychology, 46,'' 361—364.</ref> Historically, the simplicity principle is an information-theoretical translation of the Gestalt law of Prägnanz,<ref>Koffka, K. (1935). ''Principles of gestalt psychology.'' London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.</ref> which was inspired by the natural tendency of physical systems to settle into relatively stable states defined by a minimum of free-energy. Furthermore, just as the later-proposed [[Minimum description length|minimum description length principle]] in [[algorithmic information theory]] (AIT), a.k.a. the theory of [[Kolmogorov complexity]], it can be seen as a formalization of [[Occam's Razor]], according to which the simplest interpretation of data is the best one.