Margaret Floy Washburn was the first woman to earn a degree as a doctor in psychology. Her studies were focused on animal behavior in addition to showing a marked interest in the motor theory of development.
A strong woman with a very kind character who managed to make her way in a world dominated by men, always carrying her banner of fighting for equal rights for women, mainly with regard to access to education.
Thanks to her great intelligence and determination, she became president of the APA (American Psychological Association).
“Nothing in the world is as compelling to the emotions as the mind of another human being,” Margaret Floy Washburn.
Personal life
Margaret Floy Washburn was born in New York, in the year 1871, on July 25. She grew up in a wealthy family, without major problems. Her childhood was marked by constant moves due to the work of her father, who worked as a pastor (Anglican Church) and had to attend the congregations assigned to him.
Margaret was her parents’ only child and, having to change residences frequently, she was unable to establish lasting friendships with her peers. However, it can be speculated that it was precisely this that sparked her interest in her studies, with her always being an outstanding student since she began her primary studies at 7 years of age.
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Her distinctive docile character contrasted with the ferocity of her insistence to be allowed to study a career, which led her to earn the appreciation of many psychologists of her time, even becoming a member of the National Academy of Sciences, being the second woman in achieving this position.
He had a very interesting life, full of passion for learning and understanding both animal and human behavior. She knew how to successfully overcome the vicissitudes that came her way, facing the discrimination of which she was a victim for being a woman.
He dedicated himself to learning, studying and teaching, with a fruitful career until the time of his death in 1939, when he died in Poughkeepsie, New York, in his own home.
Studies
Being one of the best students, Margaret Floy Washburn, upon completing her high school studies, decided to study psychology, but this would not be easy at all, because the canons of the time established that university studies were exclusive for men and the role of The woman was in charge of taking care of the home and raising the children.
But Margaret did not let herself be guided by what was established and went to Columbia University to train as a psychologist. The choice of this study house was due to the fact that James McKeen Cattell worked there as a professor, who is one of the most important psychologists of his time.
Despite being a brilliant and exceptional student, Margaret Floy Washburn was not accepted into college due to the fact that she was a woman. But this did not discourage her and she continued to insist fervently to be allowed to study there.
Thanks to her perseverance and dedication, Margaret Floy Washburn was allowed to attend classes but could only attend as an auditor. There her eagerness for knowledge became evident and it was JM Cattell himself who encouraged her to go to another institution, Cornell University, where fortunately she was accepted.
There, she was under the tutelage of Titchener (who was a key player in her training as a psychologist) and carried out experimental research that earned her her master’s degree thanks to her work on: ‘equivalence methods in tactile perception’.
All of this led Margaret Floy Washburn to continue researching and carry out her thesis on ‘influence of visual images on judgments of tactile distance and direction’, which earned her a doctorate in psychology, being the first woman to do so. Her work was published in the Philosophische Studien in 1895 thanks to her professor sending it to her.
Margaret Floy Washburn: a feisty woman
Margaret Floy Washburn’s life was marked by her fair and kind character (a quality highlighted by those who knew her) who always sought to be conciliatory.
Thanks to her effort and hard work despite the inconveniences and against all odds, she was accepted as part of the experimentalist club as one of them. A true achievement for the time.
Throughout her life she continued to fight for the opening of scientific spaces for women, while trying to unify two currents within the study of human and animal behavior: mental and internal processes (cognition and emotional processes) together with the current highly objective behaviorist and focused on the observable.
According to Woodworth (1948), Margaret Floy Washburn was responsible for publishing several journals in her native United States, highlighting the American Journal of Psychology, which she was in charge of for 36 years, doing impeccable work. In 1921 she became president of the American Psychological Association (being the second woman to do so), continuing her laudable work.
After many obstacles and difficulties, Margaret Floy Washburn’s work was recognized by her colleagues in her time but, despite this, today very little value is given to her contributions without giving her the merit that her entire career deserves. not only in regards to psychology, but also in the fight for equal rights for women.
Contributions to psychology
In 1908 she published the title “The Animal Mind: A Textbook of Comparative Psychology”, a text in which Margaret Floy Washburn established her research on the relationship between the senses (sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing). and various activities.
All this as a result of numerous experimental investigations that he carried out in his career. At the time, these types of studies were usually carried out only with rats as test subjects, but Margaret Floy Washburn went one step further, researching just over 100 different species to understand and explain their behavior.
Later, he published his work called: “Movement and mental imagery” in 1917, in which he tried to explain consciousness and mental activity, thus formulating his dualistic motor theory. This work was a true revolution for the time, as it unites two hitherto opposing currents, behaviorism (objective, experimental and introspection) along with cognitive processes, including (without much emphasis) emotions.
In addition to having made important contributions to the field of behavioral scientific research, one of Margaret Floy Washburn’s greatest contributions was making women visible within academic spaces, marking the way so that other scientists could be trained within a world that until then, had been exclusive to the male gender.
References:
- Annin, E.L., Boring, E.G., Watson, R.I. (1968). Important psychologists, 1600–1967. Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, 303–315.
- Peña, R. (2015). The influence of the first North American psychologists in the history of psychology. Journal of History of Psychology, 36(2), 31-46.
- Pillsbury, W. B. (1940). Margaret Floy Washburn (1871-1939). Psychological Review, 47 (2), 99–109. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0062692SOS
- Woodworth, R. (1948). Biographical memoir of Margaret Floy Washburn 1871-1939. National Academy of Sciences. Vol XXV