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What does psychophysics study?

unusual discoveries in laboratory experimentations
the laws of physics and how believable they are
people's reactions and perceptions to stimuli

2 Answers

9 votes

Answer:

study of people's reactions and perceptions to a stimulus.

Step-by-step explanation:

Before the emergence of psychology, psychophysics was the more common practice. Psychophysics is the study of people's reactions and perceptions to a stimulus. For example, when you hear a bell ring, do you act startled, blink your eyes, turn your head, or do nothing? Psychophysicists were interested in people's five senses and how those senses responded to stimulation from elsewhere. Tests were administered to people to try to understand mental phenomena.Psychophysicists wanted to know what people's reactions would be. For example, if a bell rang twenty times, how well did a person hear that sound and did the person find that sound pleasant?

User Almathie
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14 votes

Answer:

people's reactions and perceptions to stimuli.

Step-by-step explanation:

Psychophysics can be defined as the scientific study of people's reactions and perceptions to stimuli.

Stimulus can be defined as an obvious change in either the chemical or physical structure of an organism' environment (either external or internal). Thus, all living organisms (humans) respond to changes in their environment and consequently, an appropriate response or reaction is made. Also, stimulus arising from within the organism is known as internal stimulus while those from its environment are known as the external stimulus.

In organisms, the specialized cells that detect stimulus are generally known as sensory receptors while a group of these receptors is referred to as sense organ.

Hence, psychophysics is a branch of psychology and it is typically focused on determining the effects of stimuli on the mental health or processes of humans.

User Mark Payne
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