Running head: MARGARET FLOY WASHBURN

Margaret Floy Washburn:

Name:

Institution:
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Who she was

Born to Elizabeth Floy and Francis Floy on 25th July 1871, Margaret Floy Washburn was

essentially the first female to earn a PhD in the American psychology. In addition, she was the

2nd woman after Mary Clakins to become APA president. Moreover, Margaret Floy Washburn

was also an early twentieth century psychologist credited for her extensive animal behavior

research, as well as, motor development. Her psychology journey started after attending college

(Vassar), with primary studies in both science and psychology. She pursued her graduate studies

with Cattell, who had established a psychology laboratory at Columbia University (O'Connell

and Russo, 1990). Though women were at the time permitted to enter graduate school in the

University, she was able to get an opportunity of joining the class as a hearer.

Psychological perspective

Unlike a large number of psychologists during her time, she rejected much of the

psychodynamic theory, stipulating that it was speculative to a large extent (Bringmann & Lück,

1997). Rather, she embraced the elements of Gestalt psychology, behaviorism, functionalism,

although her work in the cognition of animal undermined tenets of the conventional behaviorism.

Contribution to psychology

As one of the earliest females to enter psychology field, Washburn acted as evidence that

they could also contribute effectively to this field. On her part, she contributed to psychology

through her motor theory and animal mind.

1. Animal mind

Washburn’s most renowned work and possibly her most crucial contribution to

psychology field were in her book”The animal mind: a textbook of comparative psychology”.

The book compiled several researches on her experimental works in the animal psychology field.
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Washburn’s range of literature was quite huge resulting to a bibliography of around 476 titles in

her first edition that eventually rose by 4th edition to 1683 (Mabel, 1940). This book covered a

wide range of some mental activities, starting with perception and senses, comprising of vision,

hearing, tactual and kinesthetic sensation. In its later chapters, the book focuses on higher mental

processes and consciousness. Nonetheless, the dominant focus of this book is in animal

behavior.

One of the striking features of the book is diversity of the considered animal species. In

the era when research on animals was dominated by white rats, her reference and not few than a

hundred included other animals ranging from bees, ants, lancelets, salamanders amoeba and

many more (Bumb, 2013).

Though she was cautious of attributing the anthropomorphic meaning to the behaviors of

animals and soon recognized that the consciousness would not be measured directly, she opposed

the stern behaviorism’s dismissal of awareness and sought to understand more of the animal

mental phenomena. Washburn suggested that the animal psyche had mental structures which are

similar to those of human being and hence implied that the consciousness of animal is not

different qualitatively from the mental life of human (Bringmann & Lück, 1997). The bigger the

similarity in the neuroanatomical behavior and structure in human and animals, the more

consciousness can be inferred. Washburn in her own word stipulated that “our associations with

minds of the animal rest on the same foundation as our association with fellow men’s mind, as

both are derived through inference from the observable behaviors. The very actions of fellow

human resemble ours and we hence infer in them just like individual state to ours. Yet, the

actions of animal also resembles ours totally, only that the difference is in degree and not kind.

In animal world, we do not know exactly where the consciousness starts. We just know where it
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resides in us, in addition to, knowing where it also exist in the other animals that resembles us in

structure and those which quickly adopt themselves to lessons of experience.

2. Motor theory:

Her motor theory on the other hand tried to find a common ground between structuralist

tradition of her own mentor, Titchener that exclusively concentrated on the consciousness, as

well as, rising behaviorism view, that dismissed consciousness and favored visible actions. The

theory argued that thoughts may be easily traced back to the bodily movement. As per the theory,

consciousness normally arises once the motion or tendency to it is inhibited partially by the

tendency towards other movements. In presence of object, senses usually create the impression

of it comprising of sight, vision, feel and the rest.

This is also accompanied by the incipient movement sense, either from or towards an

object. The different objects suggest different motor readiness senses. Once the object is not

available, memory then evokes such sensations. Learning entails an association of various

movements to a set o some regular combinations and series (Bringmann & Lück, 1997). Once

the 2 movements become are linked closely in the quick succession, movement sense from first

primes beginning the series. The ideas are basically organized in a similar manner. Thinking

becomes the derivative of movements in the eyes, hands, trunk muscles, and vocal cords. In a

nutshell, whilst consciousness exists and not being through the form of movement, then it has

some indispensable basis particular motor processes, as well as, the sole sense in which we may

explain processes of consciousness is by learning the laws which governs such underlying motor

phenomena.

This is the sort of theory that Washburn presented in a large majority of her books,

including her earliest paper in the chapters which she contributed to various collections,
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comprising of “Feeling and emotions: The Wittenberg symposium & psychologies of 1930”.

Nevertheless, it was outlines much clearly in “Movement and Mental Imagery: Outlines of a

Motor Theory of the Complexer Mental Processes,” the work she considered to be one of

greatest (O'Connell and Russo, 1990).

Evidently, Washburn in her writing developed her consciousness theory in depth, in

addition to, investigating other topics ranging from color visions in animals, distinctive

differences and visual fondness for color. Later in life, Margaret Washburn developed an

important theory of dualism between the mental activity and motor development. Yet, in her

work “the Animal mind” she stipulates that, “all the psychic interpretations of the animal

behaviors ought to be on an analogy of the human experience (Mabel, 1940).

Significance:

Washburn’s contribution to psychology is of great significant in the lives of many

scholars. For instance, his contribution in the form of “the animal mind” in a way went through a

number of additions from 1917 to 1936, thereby remaining the standard textbook through which

comparative psychology for more than 25 years was made.

How she was viewed:

At her time, she was viewed as any other ordinary woman who was not rightfully

supposed to join the male dominated fields. As such, she had a very hard time enrolling with

Cattell. She was only able to acquire a position in the University after a special dispensation of

trustees thereby allowed to register as a hearer in Cattell’s classes.

How she is viewed currently:

Currently, Margaret Floy is viewed as the first woman to have ever earned a doctoral

degree in the American psychology. Moreover, she is regarded as the second woman president of
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APA. In addition, she is seen as a great tutor, but for most of the contemporary psychologists, as

well as social science related professionals, she is an eminence and an intellect whose work in

psychological fields are of exceptional long lasting significance.

 Key experiments:

During the early twentieth century, Margaret Floy became renowned for experimental

works in the behaviors of animals, as well as, motor theory as seen above. In essence, most of

his books were mere compilation of some experimental studies that explored existence of the

process of conscious like attention in animals and learning. The animal mind to be specific was

outstanding owing to its omission of the evidence based on anecdotal data, in its place;

Washburn included just the outcomes of her experimental research (O'Connell and Russo, 1990).

How I view her:

After reading all about Margaret Floy Washburn, I view hers as a goal oriented, sharp

and warm intellectual who did all that was humanly possible to ensure that she gain a foothold in

one of the field that women of her times could not. By far, she thereby accomplished more than

any other average woman during the early twentieth century did. As such, I see her as the

pioneer in the struggle for some equal educational-wise opportunities for all ladies.
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References:

O'Connell, A. N., & Russo, N. F. (1990). Women in psychology: A bio-bibliographic

sourcebook. New York: Greenwood Press.

Bringmann, W. G., & Lück, H. E. (1997). A pictorial history of psychology. Chicago:

Quintessence Pub.

Mabel F. M. (1940). "The Psychological Contributions of Margaret Floy Washburn."

American Journal of Psychology 53: 7-18. Retrieved on November 2013 from

http://www.brocku.ca/MeadProject/Washburn/Martin_1940.html

Bumb, J. (2013). Margaret Floy Washburn (1871-1939). Retrieved on November 2013

from http://www2.webster.edu/~woolflm/washburn.html