Which term describes the smallest difference that can be noticed in stimulus intensity?

The term that describes the smallest difference that can be noticed in stimulus intensity is known as the difference threshold. This is the minimum amount of change in stimulus intensity that can be detected by an individual. It is often associated with the concept of just noticeable difference (JND). The difference threshold is a critical aspect in understanding perception and sensory processing, as it reflects the limits of our ability to perceive variations in stimuli.

In sensory psychology, this concept illustrates how our perceptual system can detect changes in stimuli rather than the total intensity of that stimulus. This means that if a sound is made louder, there is a certain threshold that it must exceed before a person can notice the increase in volume.

The other terms mentioned pertain to different aspects of sensory perception. The absolute threshold refers to the minimum level of intensity of a stimulus that can be detected, rather than the change in intensity. Weber's Law relates to the principle that the difference threshold is a constant proportion of the original stimulus, suggesting that larger stimuli require a greater absolute change for a difference to be noticed. Signal detection theory focuses on the ability to discern between information-bearing patterns and random noise in the context of uncertainty, which is distinct from just identifying differences in stimulus intensity.