Stimulus Intensity
Threshold: the minimum intensity of a stimulus that is required to produce a response from a sensory system
- can be defined in terms of:
- receptor threshold
- action potential threshold
-
perception threshold
- the adequate stimulus will produce the response with the lowest threshold
Saturation: the maximum intensity of a stimulus that produces a response from a sensory system
Dynamic Range: the range of intensities that will produce a response from a receptor or sensory system (i.e., the difference between threshold and saturation)
- even within a modality, individual receptors will have different thresholds and dynamic ranges
- as a result, the sensory system as a whole will have a wider dynamic range than an individual receptor