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Edward Bradford Titchener D.Sc., PhD, LL.D., Litt.D. (/ˈti ːtʃənər/; 11 January 1867

– 3 August 1!7" #as a $ritish %sych&'&gist #h& stui) un)r *i'h)'+ *unt &r

s)-)ra' y)ars. itch)n)r is )st 0n&#n &r cr)ating his -)rsi&n & %sych&'&gy that

)scri) th) structur) & th) +in structura'is+. 2) cr)at) th) 'arg)st &ct&ra'

%r&gra+ in th) nit) Stat)s (at th) ti+)" at)r )c&+ing a %r&)ss&r at 4&rn)''

ni-)rsity, an his 5rst grauat) stu)nt, argar)t '&y *ashurn, )ca+) th) 5rst#&+an t& ) grant) a PhD in %sych&'&gy (18".

Education and early life

Titchener attended The Prebendal School and Malvern College and then went on to Oxford from1885 to 1890. t Oxford! Titchener fir"t began to read the wor#" of $ilhelm $%ndt. &%ring hi"

time at Oxford! Titchener tran"lated the fir"t vol%me of the third edition of $%ndt'" boo#

 Principles of Physiological Psychology from (erman into )ngli"h. fter receiving hi" degree

from Oxford in 1890! Titchener went on to *ei+,ig in (erman- to "t%d- with $%ndt. ecom+leted hi" doctoral +rogram and went on to ta#e a +o"ition a" a +rofe""or at Cornell

/niver"it- where he ta%ght hi" view on the idea" of $%ndt to hi" "t%dent" in the form of"tr%ct%rali"m.

 itch)n)r )'i)-) that i th) asic c&+%&n)nts & th) +in c&u' ) )5n) an

cat)g&ris) that th) structur) & +)nta' %r&c)ss)s an high)r thin0ing c&u' )

)t)r+in). *hat )ach )')+)nt & th) +in is, h&# th&s) )')+)nts int)ract #ith

)ach &th)r an #hy th)y int)ract in th) #ays that th)y & #as th) asis &

r)as&ning that itch)n)r us) in trying t& 5n structur) t& th) +in.

Life and legacy

Titchener wa" a chari"matic and forcef%l "+ea#er. owever! altho%gh hi" idea of "tr%ct%rali"m

thrived while he wa" alive and cham+ioning for it! "tr%ct%rali"m did not live on after hi" death.

Some modern reflection" on Titchener con"ider the narrow "co+e of hi" +"-cholog- and the

"trict! limited methodolog- he deemed acce+table a" a +rominent ex+lanation for the fall of

Titchener'" "tr%ct%rali"m after hi" death.2 So m%ch of it wa" wra++ed %+ in Titchener'" +reci"e!

caref%l dictation" that witho%t him! the field flo%ndered. Str%ct%rali"m! along with $%ndt'"

vol%ntari"m! were both effectivel- challenged and im+roved %+on! tho%gh the- did infl%ence

man- "chool" of +"-cholog- toda-.

Titchener wa" #nown for bringing "ome +art of $%ndt'" "tr%ct%rali"m to merica! b%t with a few

modification". 3or exam+le! wherea" $ilhelm $%ndt em+ha"i"ed the relation"hi+ betweenelement" of con"cio%"ne""! Titchener foc%"ed on identif-ing the ba"ic element" them"elve". 4n

hi" textboo# An Outline of Psychology 1896! Titchener +%t forward a li"t of more than 77!000

elemental %alitie" of con"cio%" ex+erience.2

Titchener i" al"o remembered for coining the )ngli"h word :em+ath-: in 1909 a" a tran"lation of

the (erman word :)inf;hl%ng"verm<gen:! a new +henomenon ex+lored at the end of 19th

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cent%r- mainl- b- Theodor *i++". :)inf;hl%ng"verm<gen: wa" later re=tran"lated a" :)m+athie:!

and i" "till in %"e that wa- in (erman. 4t "ho%ld be "tre""ed that Titchener %"ed the term

:em+ath-: in a +er"onal wa-! "trictl- intertwined with hi" methodological %"e of intro"+ection!

and to refer to at lea"t three differentiable +henomena.82

Titchener'" effect on the hi"tor- of +"-cholog-! a" it i" ta%ght in cla""room"! wa" +artiall- the

wor# of hi" "t%dent )dwin >oring. >oring'" ex+erimental wor# wa" largel- %nremar#able! b%t hi"

 boo# History of Experimental Psychology wa" widel- infl%ential!92 a"! con"e%entiall-! were hi"

 +ortra-al" of vario%" +"-chologi"t"! incl%ding hi" own mentor )dward Titchener. The length at

which >oring detailed Titchener'" contrib%tion"?contem+orar- %go M;n"terberg received

ro%ghl- a tenth a" m%ch of >oring'" attention?rai"e %e"tion" toda- a" to whether or not the

infl%ence credited to Titchener on the hi"tor- of +"-cholog- i" inflated a" a re"%lt.102

Profe""or Titchener received honorar- degree" from arvard! Clar# ! and $i"con"in. e became

a charter member of the merican P"-chological ""ociation! tran"lated @;l+e'" O%tline" of

P"-cholog- and other wor#"! became the merican editor of Mind  in 1897! and a""ociate editor

of the American Journal of Psychology in 1895! and wrote "everal boo#". 4n 1907! he fo%nded

the gro%+ :The )x+erimentali"t"!:112 which contin%e" toda- a" the :Societ- of )x+erimental

P"-chologi"t":. Titchener'" brain wa" contrib%ted to the $ilder >rain Collection at Cornell.

Kurt Koffka March 18! 188 A Bovember ! 19716 wa" a (erman +"-chologi"t. e wa" born

and ed%cated in >erlin. long with Max $ertheimer  and hi" clo"e a""ociate" $olfgang @ohler  

the- e"tabli"hed (e"talt +"-cholog-. @off#aD" intere"t" were wide=ranging! and the- incl%dedE

Perce+tion! hearing im+airment" in brain=damaged +atient"!12 inter+retation! learning! and the

exten"ion of (e"talt theor- to develo+mental +"-cholog-.12

Personal life

@%rt @off#a wa" born on March 18! 188 in >erlin. i" father! )mil @off#a wa" a law-er  and

ro-al Co%ncilor  of *aw.2 i" mother! *%i" *ev- wa" of Fewi"h de"cent b%t li"ted her"elf a"

Prote"tant.2 @off#aD" -o%nger brother 3riedrich later became a F%dge.2 4n 1909! @off#a married

Mira @lein! who wa" an ex+erimental "%bGect in hi" re"earch. The- remained married %ntil 19H

when he divorced @lein and married )li"abeth hlgrimm who had recentl- fini"hed her Ph.& at

(ie""en. owever! the- were divorced in the "ame -ear! and @off#a remarried @lein.12

&%ring the 3ir"t $orld $ar ! he wor#ed for the Militar- in a +o"ition that later lead him to aProfe""or"hi+12 in )x+erimental +"-cholog-.H2 4n 19! he acce+ted a +o"ition at the Smith

College in Bortham+ton! Ma""ach%"ett"! where he remained %ntil hi" death in 1971 from

Coronar- thrombo"i"12

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Academic career

)arl- in @off#aD" life! hi" %ncle! a biologi"t who"e intere"t" were in the field" of Philo"o+h- and

Science hel+ed to ed%cate him.12 e learned how to "+ea# )ngli"h from an )ngli"h governe""

and wa" al"o ed%cated at the $ilhelm"=(-mna"i%m.12 Thi" wa" con"idered one of the be"t=

#nown "chool" in the cit-.12 @off#aD" famil- wa" well #nown for more than a generation in the

legal +rofe""ion". e later bro#e thi" tradition when he enrolled in the /niver"it- of >erlin a" a

Philo"o+h- "t%dent and earned hi" Ph& there in 1909 a" a "t%dent of  Carl St%m+f . i" the"i"

%nder Carl St%m+f  wa" entitledE Experimental-untersuchungen zur Lehre vom hythmus 1909I

 Experimental !nvestigations of hythm6.72

4n addition to hi" "t%die" in >erlin! @off#a al"o "+ent one -ear 1907=1905 at the /niver"it- of

)dinb%rgh in Scotland where he develo+ed hi" "trong fl%enc- in )ngli"h.12 Thi" wa" a "#ill that

later "erved him well in hi" effort" to "+read (e"talt +"-cholog- be-ond (erman border" and

familiari,ing him"elf with >riti"h +"-cholog-. $hen he ret%rned to >erlin! he decided to change

hi" "t%die" from Philo"o+h- to P"-cholog-.

12

 @off#a wa" alread- wor#ing at the /niver"it- of3ran#f%rt when Max $ertheimer  arrived in 1910 and invited @off#a to +artici+ate a" a "%bGect in

hi" re"earch on the Phi +henomenon.

@off#a left 3ran#f%rt in 191 to ta#e a +o"ition at the /niver"it- of (ie""en12 fort- mile" from

3ran#f%rt! where he remained %ntil 197. P%tting hi" )ngli"h fl%enc- to the te"t! @off#a then

traveled to the /nited State"! where he wa" a vi"iting +rofe""or at the Cornell /niver"it- from

197 to 195! and two -ear" later at the /niver"it- of $i"con"inAMadi"on.

Contributions to psychology

4n the earl- 0th cent%r-! @off#a wor#ed with $olfgang @<hler  and Max $ertheimer  a" are+re"entative of the ge"talt movement. e hel+ed to e"tabli"h the theorie" that gave ri"e to the

"chool of (e"talt +"-cholog-. e i" #nown toda- a" the chief "+o#e"+er"on of (e"talt

 +"-cholog-.72

4n 191H! @off#a began editing a "erie" of +%blication" entitled "eitr#ge zur Psychologic der

$estalt  %ontri&utions to the Psychology of the $estalt 6. merican +"-chologi"t" were ex+o"ed

to (e"talt +"-cholog- in 19 in hi" article entitledE Perception' An !ntroduction to the $estalt-

(heorie! which a++eared in the P"-chological >%lletin. One of @off#aD" maGor contrib%tion" wa"

(he $ro)th of the Mind  in 191. @off#a wanted to +rovide "ome "ort of evidence "%++orting

(e"talt +"-cholog- to the field of develo+mental +"-cholog-. Thi" boo# wa" later tran"lated into

)ngli"h in 198. 3o%rteen -ear" later in 19H5 he wroteE  Principles of $estalt Psychology. Thi"

 boo# hel+ed member" of the (e"talt gro%+ and their "t%dent" bring their (e"talt +oint of view"

together. 4t i" al"o mo"t notable for to+ic" "%ch a"! Perce+tion! *earning! and Memor-.

@off#a believed that mo"t of earl- learning i" what he referred to a"! :"en"orimotor learning!:

which i" a t-+e of learning which occ%r" after a con"e%ence. 3or exam+le! a child who to%che"

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a hot "tove will learn not to to%ch it again. @off#a al"o believed that a lot of learning occ%r" b-

imitation! tho%gh he arg%ed that it i" not im+ortant to %nder"tand how imitation wor#"! b%t rather

to ac#nowledge that it i" a nat%ral occ%rrence. ccording to @off#a! the highe"t t-+e of learning

i" ideational learning! which ma#e" %"e of lang%age. @off#a note" that an im+ortant time in

children'" develo+ment i" when the- %nder"tand that obGect" have name". 52

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