In a study, researchers had participants place one hand in a bowl of warm water (40 degrees C) and the other in a bowl of cold water (10 degrees C) for two minutes. Participants then placed both hands simultaneously into a bowl of room-temperature water (22 degrees C). The hand previously in cold water felt warm, while the hand previously in warm water felt cool, even though both were now in the same water.
A separate experiment found that participants could just barely detect a temperature change of 2 percent regardless of the starting temperature. This finding best illustrates:
- A
Signal detection theory
- B
Subliminal perception
- Ccheck_circle
Weber's law (just-noticeable difference is a constant proportion)
- D
The absolute threshold
Explanation
Weber's law states that the just-noticeable difference (JND) is a constant proportion of the original stimulus, not a fixed amount. Absolute threshold is the minimum detectable stimulus, and signal detection involves decision processes.