Why Is Washburn Important To Psychology

“Nothing in the world is so compelling to the emotions as the mind of another human being,” stated Margaret Flow Washburn. Washburn was an important figure in the discovery of psychology. She was the first women to receive her Ph.D. in Phycology. It took Washburn many years to accomplish her goals, but when she did she made history.
According to goodtherapy.org, Margaret began college at the early age of 16, attending Vasser College in Poughkeepsie, New York. The electronic source goodtherapy.org states,
“When she graduated from Vassar in 1891, she wanted to study at Columbia University. At that time, women weren 't generally permitted in graduate programs; Washburn was permitted to sit in on classes at Columbia as an observer. She went on to attend the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell to work with experimental psychologist E.B. Titchener, who founded the theory of psychological structuralism.

Margret’s various studies of animal behavior, such as learning and attention were later published in the book Animal Mind in 1908. Stated in Dr. Elizabeth Scarborough article Under Standing the animal mind (Margaret Washburn insisted that animal consciousness could be experientially studied),
“Her focus was “the animal mind as deduced from experimental evidence,” a phrase she suggested might have been a more appropriate title for her book. Her intent was to produce a comprehensive collection of facts gleaned from the use of the experimental method and to examine the relevance of such facts for understanding of animal mentality.” (Pg. 8)
Animal Mind progressed over the years, while Washburn added new editions to the book the book become an important addition to the study of Phycology. Washburn’s book was recognized by Experimental Psychologist Edwin Garrigues Boring, Boring believed that the book added more statics and research over the field of Scientific