Since the mid-20th century the Structure Theory has been conducted especially for the natural sciences such as Mathematical, Biological, and Physical Structure in The New Curriculum before Woods Hole conference was held. As the Woods Hole conference was held in 1959, the briefing paper, "The Process of Education," reported by Bruner was regarded as particularly important, and at the same time the Structure Theory was proposed for each curriculums. This Structure Theory has theoretically played a central role in study after 1960 with regards to curriculum that focused on things erudite. From the viewpoint of cognitive psychology he has been aiming at the structure of the subject in "The Process of Education so as to describe the structure theory. The bottom line is that he put much emphasis on fundamental notion that every branch of knowledge have.

In addition, about "On Knowing" he pursued the structure of teaching materials encouraging the knowledge as the structure of a subject matter. In the Structure Theory composed of both two sides, he tried to sample the main component and to transfer to each curriculum in accordance with each central concept of knowledge. Although the Structure Theory was advanced there, it has been limited to Math, physics, and natural science until now.

And therefore, according to the cognitive psychology, the definition of each structure theory would be studied with the development of curriculum in the United States, especially in the center of the structure of "Social Study" that Bruner raised.