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Concepts of Absolute Thresholds and Difference Thresholds

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Concepts of Absolute Thresholds and Difference Thresholds

Absolute threshold is the least level of intensity for a given stimulus that can be

noticed easily by the senses of a person. The person must be in a position to perceive; that is,

it should be accepted generally. It must be felt by at least 50% of the total time administered.

This is applicable to all our senses. Absolute threshold differs from one person to another

due to internal and external factors (Myers, 2012). For instance, when I am playing the

guitar, a pin-prick on my fingerprint has to be more hard, just because of calluses, so that I

can feel than somebody that does not work with fingers. Besides, I feel the tiniest feelings

when I look down to see an ant on my leg. Examples of the absolute threshold for the five

senses are:

 Smell- single drop of perfume in a house of six rooms. A lowly concentration of

particles felt

 Touch- A fly's wing on the cheek. This is the lightest touch felt

 Vision-30 miles placed candle. The minimum light intensity seen

 Hearing-Ticking watch placed 20 feet away. The very low sound heard

 Taste-spoonful sugar in a gallon of water. The lowly concentrated particles felt

The difference threshold is the least difference required between two stimuli for

an individual to notice a 50% time change. A good example of this is the ability to spot

the different books that are on supermarket shelves. Double pictures that have the very

tiny things changed and are in a position to identify them. In this case, there is an

awareness that something was different and thus looking for it and lowering the

threshold. (Rathus, 2015)

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Persons will get used to a stimulus after a period. For instance, turning the car

stereo down is only for the first time, but one will probably turn it up after some time.
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References
Myers, D. (2012). Psychology in everyday life. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Rathus, S. (2015). PSYCH. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.