Just-noticeable Difference (Noun)
Meaning
(psychophysics) the difference between two stimuli that (under properly controlled experimental conditions) is detected as often as it is undetected.
Classification
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents.
Examples
- In a series of controlled experiments, the researchers aimed to determine the just-noticeable difference in brightness between two adjacent shades of gray.
- The just-noticeable difference in weight was surprisingly small, with participants able to detect a difference of only a few grams between two objects.
- To calculate the just-noticeable difference, the experimenters plotted the proportion of correct identifications against the magnitude of the difference in intensity.
- In the study of audition, the just-noticeable difference in frequency is an important concept, as it can help to explain how we perceive musical pitch.
- The just-noticeable difference in loudness was found to vary greatly between individuals, suggesting that some people are more sensitive to changes in sound level than others.