Structuralism is described as which of the following?

Structuralism is described as which of the following?

• A. An early school of psychology that used introspection to explore the elemental structure of the human mind
• B. A modern approach to reader-response criticism
• C. An analysis of social institutions
• D. A study of linguistic sound systems

Answer: (A)

Structuralism looks at the mind by breaking conscious experience into its smallest parts, using introspection to identify basic elements like sensations, images, and feelings. The statement matches this idea as an early school of psychology that explored the elemental structure of the mind through careful self-observation. It reflects the method and aim of structuralism, which sought to map out the components of experience. This approach is different from other options: modern reader-response criticism focuses on how readers create meaning in texts; analysis of social institutions belongs to sociology or anthropology; and the study of linguistic sound systems is a topic in linguistics. The described option best captures the foundational idea of structuralism in psychology.

Structuralism looks at the mind by breaking conscious experience into its smallest parts, using introspection to identify basic elements like sensations, images, and feelings. The statement matches this idea as an early school of psychology that explored the elemental structure of the mind through careful self-observation. It reflects the method and aim of structuralism, which sought to map out the components of experience.

This approach is different from other options: modern reader-response criticism focuses on how readers create meaning in texts; analysis of social institutions belongs to sociology or anthropology; and the study of linguistic sound systems is a topic in linguistics. The described option best captures the foundational idea of structuralism in psychology.