Margaret Floy Washburn Research Paper

Margaret Floy Washburn was one of the leading women in the field of psychology in the early 20th century. She came from a wealthy family who was willing to pay her way through school. Given the circumstances, Washburn’s education did not come easy due to gender discrimination. She refused to let this stop her and thereby paved the way for many other females in the field of psychology. However, this is not the extent of her accomplishments. During her career, she contributed 69 experimental studies. Also, she was ranked one of the top 50 psychologists in the country at that time, and this is yet another indicator of how much she contributed to the study of psychology. (Psychology's Feminist Voices)

One of her more significant publications was The Animal Mind published in 1908. This was the first book specifically written regarding experimental studies on the psychology of animals. The Animal Mind covered a number of studies and experiments that attempted to describe the mental processes of animals. Her main focus was their attention span and learning processes. Thus, the book expanded the study of psychology and was commonly used in the study of comparative psychology for a number of years. (American Psychological Association )

Her second book titled the Movement and Mental Imagery emphasized her

I admire the fact she did not let her gender depict her future and she decided to fulfill her dreams. Washburn was the second female to serve as the APA president. She also happened to be the first woman to earn a doctoral degree in 1894. At first, Columbia was not going to let her study there, but after three persistent months she refused to give up and finally got admitted into Columbia and attended Cattell's classes. Through these two great accomplishments, Washburn helped pave the way for other women in the field of