The smallest amount of a stimulus a sensory system can detect is its:
ASignal ceiling
BAdaptation point
CAbsolute threshold
DDifference threshold
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. Absolute threshold
1. Sensitivity is measured by the faintest thing a system can register.
2. The sensitivity of a given sensory system to the relevant stimuli can be expressed as an absolute threshold.
3. Below that level the stimulus is present but not detected.
4. The difference threshold instead concerns telling two stimuli apart.
_Source: OpenStax Psychology 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 5 'Sensation and Perception', sections 5.1-5.6_
Keep practising Sensation and Perception
Browse all Sensation and Perception questions for AP Psychology, or explore more Psychology topics.
Related questions
Complete the threshold rulesTrue or false: sensation and perceptionBottom-up or top-down?Match each sensation termStop on the right stageA just noticeable difference is measured between:Bottom-up and top-down processing are both needed because perception combines the signal wSignal detection theory differs from the absolute threshold because it addresses stimuli t