Gilbert thought he could detect the faint odor of smoke coming from the room next door.However, he wasn't really sure because the odor was very faint and when he tried to smell it again it seemed to have disappeared.Based on research conducted by psychophysicists, you should conclude that the odor from the smoke was:
A)below Gilbert's difference threshold for smell
B)above Gilbert's adaptation threshold for smell
C)below Gilbert's level for perceptual invariance
D)just at Gilbert's absolute threshold for smell

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The description fits the concept of an absolute threshold, which is the minimum stimulus intensity needed to detect a stimulus (in this case, the odor of smoke) 50% of the time. Gilbert's intermittent detection of the faint smoke odor suggests it was just at or very near his absolute threshold for smell, meaning sometimes he could detect it and sometimes he couldn't.

Gilbert Thought He Could Detect the Faint Odor of Smoke