Margaret Floy Washburn

Margaret Floy Washburn(1871–1939) was a prominent American psychologist renowned for her experimental research in animal behavior and motor theory development. She was the first woman to earn a PhD in psychology in 1894 and the second woman, after Mary Whiton Calkins, to serve as president of the American Psychological Association in 1921. Washburn was also the first woman elected to the Society of Experimental Psychologists. A 2002 survey ranked her as the 88th most cited psychologist of the 20th century, tied with several notable psychologists.

Biography

Margaret Floy Washburn was born on July 25, 1871, in New York City and raised in Harlem. She advanced quickly in school, graduating from high school at fifteen and entering Vassar College in 1886. After graduating in 1891, she studied under James McKeen Cattell at Columbia University and later earned her PhD at Cornell University under Edward B. Titchener, becoming the first woman to receive a PhD in psychology in 1894.

Washburn held academic positions at Wells College, Sage College of Cornell University, and the University of Cincinnati before returning to Vassar College in 1903 as Associate Professor of Philosophy and head of the psychology department. She published numerous studies and supported her students' careers, producing the largest series of studies from any American university at the time.

In 1921, she became president of the American Psychological Association, emphasizing introspection in her address. She retired in 1937 due to a stroke and died in 1939. Washburn never married, dedicating her life to her career.

Professional Career

Margaret Floy Washburn was a pivotal figure in early 20th-century American psychology, significantly contributing to its development as a science and profession. She was notable for translating Wilhelm Wundt's "Ethical Systems" into English and for her experimental studies in animal behavior and cognition. In her influential book, The Animal Mind (1908), she argued for the study of mental events, challenging the prevailing notion that only observable behavior was suitable for scientific investigation.

Washburn's work integrated ideas from various psychological schools, including behaviorism, structuralism, functionalism, and Gestalt psychology, while rejecting speculative psychodynamic theories. She proposed that mental processes are intertwined with physical movements, viewing consciousness as a byproduct of motor activities. This perspective was detailed in her book Movement and Mental Imagery (1916). Throughout the 1920s, she continued to gather experimental data to support her theories, maintaining a behaviorist approach but emphasizing the importance of mental processes.

Her prolific writing career spanned 35 years, producing approximately 127 articles on topics such as spatial perception, memory, experimental aesthetics, individual differences, animal psychology, and emotion. She served as an editor for several key psychology journals and held leadership roles in prominent psychological organizations. Washburn was the 30th president of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1921, a position she had aspired to since her youth.

In addition to her contributions to psychology, she was elected vice president and chairman of Section 1 (Psychology) of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1927. In 1931, she became the first female psychologist and the second woman scientist elected to the National Academy of Sciences. That same year, she served as a U.S. delegate to the International Congress of Psychology in Copenhagen. Washburn's legacy endures in contemporary psychology, particularly in the dynamic systems approach to cognitive development.

Contributions to Psychology

The Animal Mind: Washburn's most significant work, The Animal Mind: A Textbook of Comparative Psychology (1908), was a pioneering textbook compiling extensive research on animal cognition. This influential book covered a wide range of mental activities, focusing primarily on animal behavior. Washburn examined various senses and perceptions, consciousness, and higher mental processes across over 100 species, including ants, dogs, monkeys, and amoebas. She emphasized that understanding animal minds relied on inferences from observed behavior, paralleling how we infer the mental states of other humans. Washburn argued against the behaviorist dismissal of consciousness, suggesting that animal psyches had mental structures similar to humans. This work remained the standard comparative psychology textbook for 25 years, evolving through four editions.

Motor Theory: Washburn's motor theory sought to bridge the gap between structuralism, which emphasized consciousness, and behaviorism, which focused on observable actions. Her theory posited that all thought originated from bodily movements. Consciousness, she argued, emerged when one movement tendency was partially inhibited by another. Sensory impressions of objects triggered incipient movements, and memories of objects evoked these sensations. Learning involved associating movements into regular series, with closely linked movements priming subsequent ones. Thinking, therefore, was a derivative of bodily movements, such as those of the hands, eyes, and vocal cords. Washburn outlined this theory in several works, notably in her book Movement and Mental Imagery: Outlines of a Motor Theory of the Complexer Mental Processes, which she considered her greatest work.

Notes

During Washburn's early academic years, the societal norms and policies were notably restrictive for women, especially in higher education. Despite these challenges, she developed a strong interest in philosophy and psychology during her undergraduate years at Vassar. After graduating in 1891, Washburn aimed to study under James McKeen Cattell at Columbia University. However, Columbia did not yet admit women as graduate students, so she was admitted only as an auditor. Despite the era's prevalent derogatory attitudes towards women pursuing higher education, Cattell treated her as a regular student and encouraged her to pursue a Ph.D. at Cornell University, where she studied under Edward B. Titchener and became the first woman to earn a doctoral degree in American psychology in 1894.

The societal context of her time imposed significant limitations on married women in academia. It was generally expected that married women would not serve as teachers or professors in co-educational settings. This policy influenced Washburn's decision to remain unmarried, allowing her to maintain her professional career. Washburn served as a professor at Vassar College for 36 years, during which she became a skilled researcher and prolific writer, integrating many of her undergraduate students, all women, into her laboratory and publications.

Beyond her research, Washburn received numerous honors, including serving as the second female president of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1921 and being named a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, the second woman to receive this honor.

Works

The Animal Mind: A Textbook of Comparative Psychology (1908): This influential textbook synthesized research on animal cognition, challenging the view that mental processes were exclusive to humans. Washburn explored sensory perception, consciousness, and higher mental functions across a wide range of animal species.
Movement and Mental Imagery: Outlines of a Motor Theory of the Complexer Mental Processes (1916): Washburn's motor theory proposed that all thought processes are rooted in bodily movements. This theory integrated introspective methods with an emphasis on motor activity, bridging structuralist and behaviorist approaches in psychology.
Some Recollections (1930): Her memoir provided personal insights into her career and the challenges faced by women in psychology during her era. It reflects Washburn's commitment to empirical research and her pivotal role in advancing psychological understanding.

About Margaret Floy Washburn

Dallenbach, K.M. (1940). Margaret Floy Washburn: 1871-1939, American Journal of Psychology, 53, 1-5.
Furumoto, L., & Scarborough E. (1987). Placing women in the history of comparative psychology: Margaret Floy Washburn and Margaret Morse Nice. In E. Tobach (Ed.) Historical perspectives and the international status of comparative psychology (pp. 103-117). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Goodman, E.S. (1980). Margaret F. Washburn (1871-1939): First woman Ph.D. in psychology. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 5, 69-80.
Martin, M.F. (1940). The psychological contributions of Margaret Floy Washburn. American Journal of Psychology, 53, 7-18.
Pillsbury, W.B. (1940). Margaret Floy Washburn (1871-1939). Psychological Review, 47, 99-109.
Russo, N. F., & O'Connell, A. N. (1980). Models from our past: Psychology's foremothers. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 5, 11-54.