THE SCHOOL OF STRUCTURALISM

Context  :  Late 1800’s 
Domain  :  Structures of the Mind 
Founder  :  Wilhelm Wundt 
     
Catalyst  :  inspired by the Atomic Theory of John Dalton
growth of scientific thinking during the industrial age 
     
Method  :  Introspection – a method in which one examines his/her own thoughts 
and feelings, and reports them for analysis 
 
       
Contribution  :  a) formally initiated the scientific direction of psychology  
b) paved way in the identification and study of different mental 
structures 
Criticisms  :  a) studying the mind cannot possibly result to something scientific 
because the mind is intangible (ergo, it cannot be observed nor 
measured) 
b) the use of introspection can be too subjective (biased) and 
therefore prone to errors and inconsistencies 
  

 
Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt 
(1832 – 1920) 
  Wundt and his students

- father of modern psychology 
- father of experimental psychology 
- established the first psychology 
laboratory in 1879 at the University 
of Leipzig, Germany 
- introduced the use of introspection 
- was concerned with gathering data  architechtural plan of the
rather than asking good questions  first psychology laboratory

Wilhelm Wundt’s experiments focused on: 
 

a) mental chronometry (i.e., timing of 
mental processes) 
b) time‐sense (i.e., perception of time) 
c) analyses of sensations 
d) attention 
e) memory 
f) association of ideas  The Hipp Chronoscope used in one of
Wundt’s “reaction time” experiments
 A Wundt-Style Chronograph is used to measure
time up to .0001 sec

Ranschburg’s Memory Device presents a

A Wundt-style kymograph is claimed to suitable
for plethysmographical experiments since it is
absolutely soundless. It can run up to a speed of
100 mm/sec
series of visual stimuli successively, at a
specified rate, to be memorized. Symbols,
letters, numbers are written on the white
disk, and temporarily revealed through
the exposure slot. The Disk is driven in
discreet steps by an internal motor.
Ranschburg invented this apparatus based
on the work of Herman Ebbinghaus, the
pioneer memory researcher.

 
Edward Bradford Titchener 
(1867‐1927) 
 
- Wundt’s student 
- established the school of structuralism in  A laboratory experiment with Titchener
the US at Cornell University, NY  at Cornell University

Herman Ebbinghaus
(1850-1901)

- experimented on memory and discovered the
“forgetting curve” where:
R = e -t/S
where R is memory retention, S is relative strength
of memory and t is time (see exponential decay)
rapid forgetting of some information relatively
soon after learning (e.g., after few minutes); but
very little memory loss of remaining information
over the course of time (e.g. after several days)