Tammy and Chad sent their toddler to timeout ten minutes ago and ever since the boy has been crying. Tammy notes that the crying just decreased in volume ever so slightly and comments that perhaps he is beginning to settle down. From Chad's perspective, however, the boy is crying just as loudly as before. Tammy and Chad may differ in the _____ threshold for detecting a sound.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Tammy and Chad are experiencing a difference threshold (also known as the just noticeable difference), which is the smallest detectable difference between two stimuli. In this case, the difference threshold pertains to the volume of the toddler's crying. Tammy's threshold is lower than Chad's, as she detected a slight decrease in volume that Chad did not notice. The other answer choices are not applicable to this scenario: absolute threshold refers to the point at which a stimulus is first detected, while minimal threshold and auditory threshold are not commonly used terminology in psychology.

Tammy and Chad Sent Their Toddler to Timeout Ten Minutes