D. Schools of psychology

Summary of Key Points: Structuralism in Psychology

Overview
Structuralism is an early school of psychology focused on understanding the structure of the mind by analyzing its basic components (sensations, feelings, and thoughts) and how these components interact to form complex experiences. It relies on introspection, which involves detailed self-reports of sensations and feelings.

Key Figures

1. Wilhelm Wundt

   • Founder of experimental psychology and cultural psychology.

   • Distinguished psychology from philosophy by emphasizing structured, objective measurement.

   • Developed methods to study the mind empirically and ethically.

2. Edward Titchener

   • A student of Wundt and the primary proponent of structuralism.

   • Classified mental processes like a chemist analyzes chemical compounds.

     • For example, thoughts and sensations are considered the “elements” of the mind, akin to hydrogen and oxygen in water.

   • Identified four properties of sensation:

     • Intensity: Strength of the sensation (e.g., loudness).

     • Quality: Type or nature of the sensation (e.g., tone vs. noise).

     • Duration: How long the sensation lasts.

     • Extent: Area or range of the sensation.

   • Differentiated between tones and noises in auditory sensations.

   • Proposed that understanding the mind’s elements could reveal the nature of mental processes and higher-level thinking.

Memorization Tips

1. Mnemonic for Properties of Sensation (IQDE):

   • Intensity, Quality, Duration, Extent.

2. Analogy for Structuralism:

   • Think of the mind like a molecule (e.g., water). Structuralism breaks the mind into its “elements” (like hydrogen and oxygen) to study how these parts combine.

3. Key Question to Remember Structuralism’s Goal:

   • What are the basic building blocks of mental processes, and how do they interact?

Quiz

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What method is primarily used in structuralism to study the mind?
   a) Experimentation
   b) Introspection
   c) Observation
   d) Hypnosis

2. Who is considered the founder of experimental psychology?
   a) Edward Titchener
   b) Sigmund Freud
   c) Wilhelm Wundt
   d) Carl Rogers

3. Which of the following is NOT one of Titchener’s four properties of sensation?
   a) Intensity
   b) Duration
   c) Quality
   d) Complexity

4. What analogy best describes Titchener’s approach to understanding the mind?
   a) A painter creating a masterpiece
   b) A chemist analyzing a compound
   c) A musician composing a song
   d) A doctor diagnosing a patient

5. What is the purpose of structuralism?
   a) To explain how mental processes influence behavior.
   b) To classify and categorize the components of the mind.
   c) To explore unconscious motivations and desires.
   d) To study how the brain’s biology influences thought.

Answer Key

1. b) Introspection

2. c) Wilhelm Wundt

3. d) Complexity

4. b) A chemist analyzing a compound

5. b) To classify and categorize the components of the mind