In the context of AP Psychology, what is the definition of a threshold?

• A. The point at which a neuron can no longer fire an action potential
• B. The minimum level of stimulation required to detect a stimulus 50% of the time
• C. The average difference between two stimuli that can be detected
• D. The maximum amount of information a person can process at one time

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that in AP Psychology, a 'threshold' refers to the minimum level of stimulation needed for a sensory system to detect a stimulus.
2. Recognize that this concept is often operationalized as the stimulus intensity that can be detected 50% of the time, reflecting the point where detection becomes reliable but not guaranteed.
3. Differentiate this from other related concepts, such as the absolute refractory period of a neuron (which is about firing limits), the difference threshold (which concerns detecting changes between stimuli), and cognitive capacity limits (which relate to information processing).
4. Focus on the idea that the threshold is about sensory detection, not about neural firing limits or cognitive processing capacity.
5. Summarize that the correct definition of threshold in this context is: the minimum level of stimulation required to detect a stimulus 50% of the time.