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Her interests changed to Philosophy and science. These 2 combined make up what is today known as experimental Psychology, a class that was available at Colombia university. However, Colombia university did not accept female graduate student, but Cattell (Professor) allowed her to sit in his class an as a "hearer". After about a year, Cattell advised her to join Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University. In 1892, she began studying under E.B. Titchener's (founder of Structuralism- big influence) and in 1894, became the first woman to earn a Ph.D in Psychology.
Margaret Floy Washburn was the first women ever to earn a PhD in Psychology. She is also the second female President of APA (American Psychological Association). She has made important contributions to the field of Psychology particularly through her 3 books: The Animal Mind, Movement and Mental Imagery.
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Margaret Floy Washburn was born on July 25, 1871 in Harlem, New York City. She was an only child. She was home-schooled until she was seven, and was advanced in her studies. At age 11, she joined a public school. She graduated from high school at the age of 15. At age 16, she joined Vassar College, studied chemistry and french, and graduated in 1891.
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After she received her PhD, she became a professor and taught at seveal colleges, including Sage College, Wells College, and University of Cincinnati. in 1903, she finally grounded her career as an associates professor at Vassar University until she retired in 1937. During her long career she published more than a hundred scholarly articles on topics including, memory, experimental psychology, animal behavior and psychology, consciousness, spatial reasoning, and individual differences in behavior. (behavioralism)
Her intrest in the correlation between motor skills and mental processes, led to the publication of her second book, Movement and Mental Imagery (1916). Washburn believed that psychology should include the study of behavior and consciousnesses- a radical notion that blended 2 popular schools of though on psychology at that time: introspection and behavioralism. This book introduced her theory regarding the correlation between mental processes and motor skills. She argued that all mental functions produce psysical actions.
- in 1903, she was listed as one of Cattelś 1000 most important ¨Men of Science¨
- IN 1921, she was elected the 2nd president of the APA.
- Vice-President of The American Asociation for the Advancement of Science in 1927
-In 1903 she was selected as one of the top fifty American psychologists.
-She was the first foreigner to be published in Wundt's journal, Philosphische Studien
-She was an editor for the American Journal of Psychology, Psychological Bulletin, Journal of Animal Behavior, Psychological Review, and Journal of Comparative Psychology.
This theory emphasized the importance of motor movements in all psychological processes, but particularly in learning, attention and emotion. She argued that animals had the ability to precive movement at a distance and delay responsive action. These produce motor excitation, which prepares the animal for future action. Washburn said that higher mental processes only occur when an organism is presented with a distal stimulus to which it can delay its reaction, making possible reflection and consciousness. The physical movements which inhibit action, allow the organism to attend to the stimulus, make decisions, and learn.
In 1908, Washburn published, The Animal Mind. She studied over a 100 different animal species, and concluded that mental states could be revealed through visible behavior and that all mental functions produce psychical reactions. Washburn believed that like humans, animals possessed both aspects of this dualism, a body and mind. (meaning they too possessed similar traits to Humans) She extensively studied animal behavior and argued that animals' mental states should be studied alongside their behavior. Through her studies, Washburn was able to provide evidence of a definitive mental process in an animal. This book has now become a standard for comparative psychology, and is widely used in psychology.
- Found relationships between organic sensations and social consciousness.
- Motor theory of Consciousness.
- One of first to state psychology includes both the study of behavior and consciousness.
- Emotional Effects of instumental music
- Animal Mind
- Movement and Mental Imargery