A variable is any condition, process, or event that changes or varies. The independent variable is the stimulus condition that is systematically varied by the investigator in order to predict a given effect on subjects behavior. The dependent variable is any behavioral variable whose values result from or depend on changes in the independent variables. Controlling What Happens Some psychologists seek understanding rather than control. Many psychological findings are applied to solve human problems.
Psychology can enrich life in profound ways.
The Foundations of Psychology Wilhelm Wundt founded the first formal lab in psychology in 1879, in Leipzig, Germany Hermann von Helmholtz conducted experiments on perception and the nervous system. At the same time, Gustav Fechner began studying physical stimulation and sensation. Wundt, von Helmholtz, and Fechner advocated determinism, the doctrine that physical, behavioral, and mental events are determined by specific causal factors. In 1890, William James wrote The Principles of Psychology . Structuralism refers to the study of the structure of mind and behavior, including their elements and components.