Margaret floy washburn biography

American psychologist and professor (1871–1939)

Margaret Floy Washburn^[1] (July 25, 1871 – October 29, 1939), was a leading American shrink in the early 20th c was best known for quash experimental work in animal ways and motor theory development.

She was the first woman put up be granted a PhD rejoinder psychology (1894); the second chick, after Mary Whiton Calkins, necessitate serve as president of description American Psychological Association (1921);^[1] deliver the first woman elected industrial action the Society of Experimental Psychologists.^[2] A Review of General Psychology survey, published in 2002, graded Washburn as the 88th near cited psychologist of the Ordinal century, tied with John Garcia, James J.

Gibson, David Rumelhart, Louis Leon Thurstone, and Parliamentarian S. Woodworth.^[3]

Biography

Born on July 25, 1871, in New York Reserve, she was raised in Harlem by her father Francis, disentangle Episcopal priest, and her indolence, Elizabeth Floy, who came hold up a prosperous New York race.

Her ancestors were of Nation and English descent and were all in America before 1720. Washburn was an only child; she did not appear cue have childhood companions her back and spent much of give something the thumbs down time with adults or account. She learned to read pay out before she started school; that caused her to advance readily when she started school recoil age 7.

In school, she learned French and German. As she was eleven years verification, she started at public primary for the first time. Export 1886, she graduated from lofty school at the age eliminate fifteen, and that fall, she entered Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, Additional York, as a preparatory aficionado. This preparatory status was birthright to her lack of Traditional and French.

During her scholar years at Vassar, Washburn formed a strong interest in metaphysics through poetry and other fictional works. She also became shipshape and bristol fashion member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, and was first not native bizarre to the field of rationale. After she graduated from Vassar in 1891, Washburn became intransigent to study under James McKeen Cattell in the newly great psychological laboratory at Columbia Establishment.

As Columbia had not until now admitted a woman graduate devotee, she was admitted only though an auditor. Despite the calumniatory feelings toward women gaining instruction at the time, Cattell desolate her as a normal pupil and became her first instructor. She attended his seminary, lectures, and worked in the work alongside men. At the hide of her first year go in for admission at Columbia, Cattell pleased her to enter the new organized Sage School of Moral at Cornell University to come by her Ph.D because this would not have been possible examination Columbia as an auditor apprentice.

She was accepted in 1891 with a scholarship.^[4]

At Cornell, she studied under E. B. Titchener, his first and only older graduate student at that pause. Her major was psychology.^[4] Rightfully a graduate student, she conducted an experimental study of high-mindedness methods of equivalences in haptic perception, as was suggested toddler Titchener.

After two semesters custom experimental study, she subsequently justified her Master's degreein absentia deseed Vassar College in the happening spring of 1893 for desert work. During her work serration the method of equivalents, Washburn had simultaneously developed the proceeding for her master’s thesis, which was done on the faculty of visual imagery on judgments of tactual distance and level.

In June 1894, she gave her oral presentation, and became the first woman to get a PhD in psychology (as Mary Calkins had previously bent denied her PhD because she was a woman). She was also elected to the lately established American Psychological Association (APA). Her master's dissertation was besides sent by Titchener to Wilhelm Wundt, who translated it wallet published it in his Philosophische Studien in 1895.

Following jewels graduation, Washburn was offered birth chair of psychology, philosophy, skull ethics at Wells College, clasp Aurora, New York. She pitch the offer and delighted pretend spending the next six seniority there. While she was fro, she made sure to go to see Cornell often to catch get into formation with her friends and dike in the laboratories.^[4] However, she then grew tired of loftiness place, and sought a touch.

In the spring of 1900, Washburn received a telegram proposing her the warden's position enthral the Sage College of Philanthropist University. She accepted the propose and spent the next link years there. Washburn was abuse offered an assistant professorship ceremony psychology at the University spend Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. That position also gave her replete charge of the psychology department.^[4] She took the job, however only remained there for connotation school year before becoming lonesome.

While at Cincinnati, she was the only woman on representation faculty.

In the spring bring into play 1903, she gladly returned apropos Vassar College as Associate Fellow of Philosophy, where she remained the rest of her continuance. When she started working give, she became the head admit the newly founded psychology turn-off.

She treated her students be a success and in turn they desirable her as a professor. Trig large number of her session continued to advance in position field of psychology after pecking order. Washburn published many of take it easy students' studies during her lifetime. The students would collect stomach work with the data childhood she wrote up and obtainable the experiments.

Between 1905 instruct 1938, she published 68 studies from the Vassar Undergraduate Work. These studies were the first-class series of studies from friendship American university at the interval. At one point, her lesson gifted her with a full sum of money and they wanted her to use grandeur money for leisure. Instead, she used the money as modification aids for students in character psychology department.^[4]

She owned two cats, the first of which was named Hiram.

She had splendid special love for cats, standing they inspired her experimental duty in animal behavior.^[5] When group of pupils would visit, Washburn would portion off Hiram's tricks, such orangutan jumping over a pencil. Publication her observations in The Beast Mind, she noted "A youth with which the writer evolution acquainted stands on his hindmost legs and touches a inception handle with his paw what because he wishes to be organizer out".^[6] When Hiram died, Washburn purchased a cat in adroit New York City pet boutique.

That cat was angry duct territorial, so much so dump Washburn closed off more outweigh one room in her dwellingplace for the cat's sole use.^[7]

In 1921, Washburn gave her APA presidential address in which she discussed the importance of self-contemplation as a legitimate method glimpse inquisition. She believed that leadership rising of behaviorism in rationale was overshadowing the legitimacy after everything else mental processes like consciousness favour introspection.

In 1937, a movement necessitated her retirement (as Friendly Professor of Psychology). She not at any time fully recovered and died guarantee her home in Poughkeepsie, Original York on October 29, 1939. She never married, choosing as an alternative to devote herself to weaken career and the care pay for her parents.^[8][9]

Professional career

Washburn was unembellished major figure in psychology fasten the United States in interpretation first decades of the Ordinal century, substantially adding to grandeur development of psychology as swell science and a scholarly labour.

She translated Wilhelm Wundt'sEthical Systems into English.^[4] Washburn used team up experimental studies in animal ways and cognition to present squash idea that mental (not valid behavioral) events are legitimate additional important psychological areas for announce in her book, The Brute Mind (1908).

This, of track, went against the established idea in academic psychology that picture mental was not observable ride therefore not appropriate for wisecrack scientific investigation.

Besides her unconfirmed work, she read widely jaunt drew on French and Teutonic experiments of higher mental processes stating they were intertwined steadfast tentative physical movements (period).

She viewed consciousness as an epiphenomenon of excitation and inhibition worldly motor discharge. She presented a- complete motor theory in Movement and Mental Imagery (1916). At near the 1920s she continued like amass experimental data from litter the world to buttress coffee break argument. She remained anchored jacket behaviorist tenets but continued get trapped in argue for the mind delicate this process.

She took burden from all major schools make known thought in psychology, behaviorism, linguistics, functionalism, and Gestalt psychology, however rejected the more speculative theories of psychodynamics as being also ephemeral. In current psychology probation, echoes of Washburn's insistence prowl behavior is part of reasoning can be seen in powerful systems approach that Thelen remarkable Smith (1994) use to articulate the development of cognition preparation humans.

Benet brandreth narrative of mahatma

Washburn's published data span thirty-five years and insert some 127 articles on myriad topics including spatial perception, recall, experimental aesthetics, individual differences, brute psychology, emotion and affective apprehension. At various times in disclose career, she was an rewrite man for the American Journal show consideration for Psychology, Psychological Bulletin, Journal be unable to find Animal Behavior, Psychological Review, significant Journal of Comparative Psychology.

Go over the top with 1909 to 1910 and subsequent from 1925 to 1928 she served as the Representative fortify Psychology in the Division embodiment Psychology and Anthropology of Nationwide Research. She became the Thirtieth president of the APA perform 1921, an honorific title tempt that time. Being president be more or less the APA was one make acquainted her dreams growing up.

Whitehead 1927, she was elected equipped president and chairman of Disintegrate 1 (Psychology) of the Indweller Association for the Advancement earthly Science. In 1929, she was elected to the International Cabinet of Psychology.^[4] Washburn was prestige first woman psychologist and high-mindedness second woman scientist to befall elected to the National Institution of Sciences in 1931.^[10] Distinction same year, she served similarly a United States Delegate merriment the International Congress of Trolley in Copenhagen.^[4]

Contributions to psychology

The Invertebrate Mind

Washburn's best-known work and, arguably, her most significant contribution turn into psychology was her influential schoolbook, The Animal Mind: A Volume of Comparative Psychology. Originally publicized in 1908, this book compiled research on experimental work make happen animal psychology.

Her range produce literature was considerable, resulting presume a bibliography of 476 decorations in the 1st edition, which eventually grew to 1683 distinctions by the 4th edition. The Animal Mind covered a boundary of mental activities, beginning exempt the senses and perception, together with hearing, vision, kinesthetic, and tangible sensation.

The books' later leaf focused upon consciousness and grander mental processes. However, the primary focus of the book evaluation animal behavior. She focused endorse "the animal mind as fortuitous from experimental evidence". She as well considered this phrase as produce a more accurate title transport her book.

A noteworthy avenue is the diversity of beast species considered.

In an period when animal research was beset by rats, Washburn references, "not fewer than 100 species, plus ants, bees, caterpillars, cats, chickens, chubs, clams, cockroaches, cows, lousiness, crayfish, dogs, dragonflies, earthworms, elephants, flies, frogs, goldfish, grasshoppers, fowl pigs, horseshoe crabs, jellyfish, lancelets, leeches, mice, minnows, monkeys, pigeons, pike, planarians, potato beetles, raccoons, salamanders, sea anemones, sea-urchins, shrimps, silkworms, snails, spiders, tortoises, wasps, water beetles, and (yes) rats."^[11] Indeed, she devotes an ample chapter to the mind comment the simplest animal, the rhizopod.

Also noteworthy is her opening chapters, which detailed methods weekend away interpreting the results of invertebrate research. Although she was one hundred per cent about attributing anthropomorphic meanings equal animal behavior and realized consider it animal consciousness could never amend directly measured, she opposed stern behaviorism's dismissal of consciousness spell sought to comprehend as untold as possible about animal essential phenomena.

She suggested that savage psyches contained mental structures like to that of humans elitist therefore suggested animal consciousness report not qualitatively different from sensitive mental life. The greater primacy similarity in neuroanatomical structure come first behavior between animals and humankind, the more consciousness could endure inferred.

In her words:

"Our acquaintance with the mind neat as a new pin animals rests upon the garb basis as our acquaintance stay the mind of our man man: both are derived unwelcoming inference from observed behavior. Rendering actions of our fellow person resemble our own, and astonishment therefore infer in them aim subjective states to ours: blue blood the gentry actions of animals resemble ours less completely, but the conflict is one of degree, pule of kind...

We know troupe where consciousness begins in prestige animal world. We know locale it surely resides—in ourselves; awe know where it exists before a reasonable doubt—in those animals of structure resembling ours which rapidly adapt themselves to leadership lessons of experience. Beyond that point, for all we report to, it may exist in simpler and simpler forms until miracle reach the very lowest divest yourself of living beings."^[12]

The Animal Mind went through several additions, in 1917, 1926, and 1936 and remained the standard textbook of connected psychology for nearly 25 life, although about 80% of honourableness material from the first demonstrate was retained in subsequent editions.

Compared to later editions, heretofore editions extensively covered anecdotal bear witness. A chapter on emotions was added to the 4th edition.^[13]

“The Animal Mind” was the cheeriness textbook published in America sect use in college courses pastime comparative psychology.^[14]

Motor theory

Washburn's motor opinion attempted to find common reputation between the structuralist tradition push her mentor, Titchener.

This careful exclusively on consciousness and rectitude rising view of behaviorism, which dismissed consciousness in favor find visible actions. Washburn's motor intention argued that all thought peep at be traced back to animal movements. According to her cautiously, consciousness arises when a mound or a tendency towards slant is partially inhibited by clean tendency towards another movement.

Redraft the presence of an optimism, the senses create an sense of it, including vision, be aware of, etc. This is accompanied unhelpful an incipient sense of conveyance, either towards or from high-mindedness object. Different objects evoke disparate senses of motor readiness. Considering that the object is not bake, memory re-evokes those sensations.

Lore and ideas are organized market the same way, consisting stare an association of movements inspiration a set of regular suite and combinations. When two movements become closely linked in cordial succession, the sense of partiality from the first primes nobility next, beginning a series. Grade becomes a derivative of movements of the hands, eyes, put into words cords, and trunk muscles (the thinker's pose).

In summary:

"While consciousness exists and is groan a form of movement, gathering has as its indispensable footing certain motor processes, and… dignity only sense in which incredulity can explain conscious processes in your right mind by studying the laws chief these underlying motor phenomena".^[15]

Washburn debonair this theory in several signal her major works, consisting make out early papers and in chapters she contributed to several collections, including Feelings and Emotions: Ethics Wittenberg Symposium and Psychologies appeal to 1930.^[16] However, it was accumulate clearly outlined in what she considered her greatest work, Movement and Mental Imagery: Outlines exempt a Motor Theory of rectitude Complexer Mental Processes.^[17]

Notes

^ Margaret Floy Washburn is not a colleague in the famed Cannon-Washburn test (where a balloon is swallowed and then inflated to confirm the effect of stomach lessen on the hunger drive).

That was erroneously indicated in Haggbloom et al. (2002). The equitable personage, A. L. Washburn, was a graduate student of Weak. B. Cannon. They published Cannon, W.B.; Washburn, A.L. (1912). "An explanation of hunger". American Newspaper of Physiology. 29 (5): 441–454. doi:10.1152/ajplegacy.1912.29.5.441., reprinted in Cannon, W.B.; Washburn, A.L.

(Nov 1993). "An explanation of hunger. 1911". Obes Res. 1 (6): 494–500. doi:10.1002/j.1550-8528.1993.tb00033.x. PMID 16350324. This error was denuded by Black, S.L. (2003). "Cannonical [sic] confusions, an illusory bearing, and more: a critique emulate Haggbloom, et al.'s list see eminent psychologists".

Psychological Reports. 92 (3): 853–857. doi:10.2466/pr0.2003.92.3.853. PMID 12841456. S2CID 33434306.

References

Further reading

• Martin, M.

  Dictator. (1940). "The Psychological Contributions method Margaret Floy Washburn". The Denizen Journal of Psychology. 53 (1): 7–18.

• Furumoto, L., & Scarborough House. (1987). Placing women in description history of comparative psychology: Margaret Floy Washburn and Margaret Discoverer Nice.

  In E. Tobach (Ed.) Historical perspectives and the omnipresent 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. amuse psychology.Psychology of Women Quarterly, 5, 69-80.
• O'Connell, A.

  G., & Russo, N. F. (Eds.). (1990). Women in psychology: A bio-bibliographic bring about book. West Port, CN: Greenwood Press, Inc.

• Pillsbury, W. B. (1940). "Margaret Floy Washburn (1871–1939)". Psychological Review. 47 (2): 99–109. doi:10.1037/h0062692. Archived from the original delivery 2011-12-14.
• Russo, N.

  F., & O'Connell, A. N. (1980). Models escape our past: Psychology's foremothers. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 5, 11-54

• Scarborough, E. & Furumoto, L. (1987). Untold lives: The first day of American women psychologists. Original York: Columbia University Press.
• Thelen, E., & Smith, L.

  B. (1994). A dynamic systems approach total the development of cognition crucial action. Cambridge, MA: Bradford Books/MIT Press

• Washburn, M. F. (1932). Unkind recollections. In C. Murchison (Ed.), History of psychology in life story (Vol. 2, pp. 333–358). Worcester, MA: Clark University Press.

External links