hiː ɛnɹˈoʊld æz ɐ stˈuːdənt ʌv saɪkˈɑːlədʒi æt ðə jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ʌv vɪˈɛnə, wˌɛɹ hiː bɪkˌeɪm ɐn ɐsˈɪstənt ɪn kˈɑːɹl bˈuːhlɚz saɪkəlˈɑːdʒɪkəl ˈɪnstɪtˌuːt stˈuːdənt kˈɑːliːɡz ɪŋklˈuːdᵻd pˈɔːl ˈɛf. lˈæzɑːɹsfˌɛld ænd kˈɑːnɹæd lˈɔːɹənts ænd ɹᵻsˈiːvd ɐ pˌiːˈeɪtʃ dˈiː ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti sˈɛvən.
He enrolled as a student of psychology at the University of Vienna, where he became an assistant in Karl Bühler's Psychological Institute (student colleagues included Paul F. Lazarsfeld and Konrad Lorenz) and received a PhD in 1927.