Structuralism

what was the subject matter of structuralism?

the structure of the mind

what was the thesis of structuralism?

the mind, like the brain, is researchable

what was the data used by structuralism?

sensations, images, feelings, memories

what methods were used in structuralism?

mainly introspection

what were the three aims of structuralism?

1. analysis (to reduce conscious experience to simplest elements)

2. synthesis (to determine how these units combine)

3. explanation (to discover the physiological determinants of elements)

what was Titchener’s structuralism?

• said the first objection of a psychologist is to find the nature and number of mental elements

• mental experience: divided to simplest forms/elements

• conscious element is found once divided to simplest forms

what was Titchener’s psychology domain?

• immediate experience is what we are after in psych

• various conscious elements (memories, mental images) are not mediated by general knowledge

• placed emphasis on science in the lab (introspection)

what problems did Titchener say to avoid?

• “stimulus error“: taking the POV independent of observer

• not immediate, is mediated by what you already know

major structuralism problems

• failed to convince other ‘researcher of the conscious’ (e.g. atomistic perspective)

• ‘imageless thoughts’: Kulpe (thoughts without conscious trace or representation)

• New American psychologists wanted practical psych

• never got past the first aim