Question

What is the absolute threshold?

Answer 1

Absolute threshold is related to the stimulus which can be identified by the organism. The stimulus can be in terms of odour, touch, sound, taste etc. The absolute threshold is different from person to person. It depends on the cognitive ability of an individual.

Complete answer:
We already know that the stimulus is the change in the environment which can be detected by the individual. The change can be in terms of sound, sight, taste, smell, temperature etc. This change is detected by the sense organs. Our body has various sense organs like eye, ear, tongue, skin, nose which detects the changes. The Absolute threshold can be defined as the minimum amount of stimulus that an organism can detect in half a time is known as absolute threshold. For example, a person may not be able to listen to a sound 20 feet away but can listen to the normal voice.

The factors which affect the absolute threshold are:
- The expectations, motivations and thoughts affect the absolute threshold.
- Age is one of the important factors for determining the change. Greater stimulation is required in older age to detect the same stimulus.
- In case of the touch stimulus, the threshold depends on the part of the body involved. It is lower in finger tips.
- In case of smell, the threshold depends on the environmental conditions like humidity, pressure etc.
- In case of vision, the threshold depends upon the amount of light.

Note: Gaustav Fechner gave the concept of absolute threshold. The women have lower threshold level in terms of detecting the stimulus as compared to that of men. Absolute threshold is used by the researchers to determine the capabilities and limitations of human senses and perception.