ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti, hiː ɡɹˈædjuːˌeɪɾᵻd fɹʌmðə jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ʌv ʃᵻkˈɑːɡoʊ dᵻpˈɑːɹtmənt ʌv saɪkˈɑːlədʒi wɪððə dˈɑːktɚɹəl pˈeɪpɚ "ðə kəndˈɪʃənz ʌv ɹᵻtˈɛnʃən".
In 1920, he graduated from the University of Chicago Department of Psychology with the doctoral paper "The Conditions of Retention".