Final answer:
Psychologists who study the basic elements of conscious experience and the purposes of behaviors examine both the structure of the mind through introspection as early structuralists did, as well as behavioral responses and learning as investigated by behaviorists. The Cognitive Revolution later reintroduced a focus on internal mental processes within this field of study.
Step-by-step explanation:
A psychologist studying the basic elements that make up the conscious mind and the purposes of behaviors would be engaging in research rooted in several psychological frameworks. Structuralism, developed by Wilhelm Wundt and his student Edward Titchener, is an approach aimed at understanding the conscious experience through introspection and identifying the individual elements of mental processes. On the other hand, the later emergence of Behaviorism, with notable figures like Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson, and B.F. Skinner, shifted the focus to studying observable behaviors and understanding behavior through conditioning, without making assumptions about the conscious mind. The Cognitive Revolution reclaimed interest in the internal mental processes, contesting that cognition could be a scientific object of inquiry. Thus, psychology has various levels of explanation; from the physiological responses to stimuli seen in classical conditioning to the cognitive understanding of thought processes and cultural influences on behavior.