In the context of AP Psychology and visual stimuli, which of the following best defines an afterimage?

• A. An afterimage is the process by which the brain interprets incoming sensory information from the environment.
• B. An afterimage is the ability to detect faint light in a dark environment.
• C. An afterimage is the rapid movement of the eyes between fixation points.
• D. An afterimage is a visual sensation that continues to appear in one's vision after the original stimulus has been removed.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of an afterimage in the context of visual perception. An afterimage occurs when a visual sensation persists even after the original stimulus is no longer present.
2. Step 2: Recognize that afterimages are related to the way photoreceptors in the eyes (rods and cones) respond to prolonged exposure to a stimulus and then continue to send signals after the stimulus is removed.
3. Step 3: Differentiate afterimages from other visual phenomena such as sensory interpretation (which involves processing sensory input), dark adaptation (detecting faint light), and saccadic eye movements (rapid eye movements between fixation points).
4. Step 4: Identify that the correct definition of an afterimage is a visual sensation that continues to appear in one's vision after the original stimulus has been removed.
5. Step 5: Summarize that afterimages demonstrate how sensory adaptation and neural processing in the visual system can create lingering perceptions beyond the presence of the actual stimulus.