Gustav Theodor Fechner

Gustav Theodor Fechner (1801-1887) was a German philosopher and psychologist who is credited with many advancements in psychological research. Fechner founded the field of psychophysics and is considered to be the founder of modern experimental psychology as a field.

He discovered the Fechner Color Effect which is the observation of different colors when black and white patterns are moving at a high speed. Fechner also introduced the concept of the statistical median which is defined as the middle value in a distribution of numbers that separates the upper half from the lower half in a statistical spread.

He was the first to study synesthesia, a condition in which the stimulation of one sensory system leads to the involuntary response by another sensory system (examples are people who are able to 'hear' color). Fechner also theorized that if the corpus callosum (the fibers that connect the two brain hemispheres) was split then the two brain hemispheres could act independently of one another. This theory was finally proven in the 20th century. Gustav Fechner was a highly accomplished and influential scientist who contributed immensely to the field of psychology.