Definition of "independent variable" [independent variable]

• Mathematics A variable whose value determines the value of other variables. (noun)
• Statistics A manipulated variable in an experiment or study whose presence or degree determines the change in the dependent variable. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "In a 2001 review, John L. Sherry, PhD, of Purdue University found “32 independent studies in which violent video game play was the independent variable and some measure of aggression was the dependent variable.”"