“Whether we can detect a change in the strength of a stimulus depends on the intensity of the initial stimulus. For example, if you hold a pebble (the original stimulus), you will notice weight gain when a second pebble is placed in your hand. But if you start holding a very heavy stone (the original appeal), you probably won`t notice any weight gain if the same pebble is balanced on it. What Weber`s law emphasizes is that our psychological experience of sensation is relative. There is no simple, unequivocal correspondence between the objective characteristics of a physical stimulus, such as the weight of a pebble, and our psychological experience of it” (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2007). As one of the most enduring psychological theories in the field, this law and the legal principles associated with it continue to advocate the sensitivity of human perception. Weber first tested this with the sensation of weight, but it can be applied to a variety of sensory modalities (brightness, volume, mass, length, etc.). It can also be applied to numerical values such as prices, deletion of text stories or other perceptions we might have. We can even take the well-known example of a friend who goes to the hairdresser without telling you: the probability that you will notice the new haircut depends entirely on how different it is from before. If it`s just a costume with no change in style or color, chances are you won`t even notice it. However, if she cuts it from the waist to the chin, the change from the original is significant enough that it is impossible to miss it. This is a theory that can be very useful. In fact, we probably struggle with this theory every day without really realizing it.
Just like many theories in the vast field of psychology, people constantly prove or refute the correctness of theories. This law is no exception. Let`s look at some examples where Weber`s law is both present and useful. Imagine holding a paperback book in your hand. You can obviously feel the weight of the book as well as the overall size and shape. If we were to put another pound of similar size, shape, and weight in the same hand, you could see the extra weight. If we were to put another book that is a little heavier or has a different shape in your other hand, you could decide which book is lighter or heavier. Both are an example of the threshold of difference. The law was originally postulated to describe research on weightlifting by German physiologist Ernst Heinrich Weber in 1834 and was later applied to the measurement of sensation by Weber`s student, Gustav Theodor Fechner, who developed the science of psychophysics from the law. By establishing a relationship between the spiritual and physical worlds, the law showed Fechner that there really is only one world, the spiritual world.
For others, the law meant the possibility of scientific and quantitative psychology. Weber and Fechner`s joint work has been useful, particularly in hearing and vision research, and has had implications for attitude scaling and other theoretical tests and developments. Hockenbury, D. H. and Hockenbury, S. E. (2007). Discover psychology. New York: Worth Publishers. Weber`s law was originally postulated in research conducted by Weber in 1834 to calculate the threshold of perception of a change in weight, and was later applied by Fechner, a student of Weber, to the general measurement of sensations and perceptions. It states that the perception of change in a given stimulus always depends on what that stimulus is.
In other words, whether a change is noticed depends on the magnitude, severity or importance, etc. of something before and the importance of the change. Our sensory capacity has limits and there is an “absolute threshold” that describes the minimum amount by which the intensity of the stimulus must be altered to produce a noticeable variation in sensory experience. Weber`s law shows that a difference of about 10% is the average point at which people are induced to react. Weber`s law is often used in marketing, especially when it comes to price increases for products and services. This means, for example, that it is possible to increase prices by sufficiently small amounts – which fall below the “absolute threshold” – without your customers even noticing. The original proposal of this theory in 1834 was made on the basis of psychophysics, or the interface between psychology and physics. For this new theory, the easiest way to test it was to use something that could be easily measured and recorded: weight. At present, Weber`s law currently enjoys moderate experimental attention in neuropsychology. Neuropsychologists are trying to understand how human neurons recognize and process physical stimulation, and Weber`s law happens to be the oldest theory about this phenomenon in all of psychology psychology.