Dr. Lau is doing an experiment in which he wishes to determine the lowest concentration of salt that customers will be able to taste in a new soup product. In this experiment, Dr. Lau is interested in measuring the customer's ____.
A) top-down perceptual processing
B) difference threshold
C) absolute threshold for taste
D) just noticeable difference for salt

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Dr. Lau's experiment is aimed at determining the customer's ability to detect a minimum amount of salt in the soup. This corresponds to the absolute threshold for taste, which is defined as the minimum amount of a particular stimulus (in this case, salt) that can be detected by a person's senses. Choice A (top-down perceptual processing) refers to the role of a person's prior knowledge and expectations in shaping their perception of a stimulus, but this is not the focus of Dr. Lau's experiment. Choice B (difference threshold) and Choice D (just noticeable difference) both refer to the smallest amount of change in a stimulus that can be detected by a person, but these are not relevant to Dr. Lau's experiment since he is interested in a fixed, minimum concentration of salt.

Dr Lau Is Doing an Experiment in Which He Wishes