Which law explains why a person in a quiet room is more startled by a knock at the door than a person in a noisy room? A. Difference threshold law B. The law of opposites C. Weber's law D. Absolute threshold law

According to my research the law that explains why a person in a quiet room is more startled by a knock at the door is absolute threshold law.

• What is absolute threshold law?

Absolute threshold law refers to the level of intensity that is felt after an action, which in this case is sound. The sound being made is a stimulus and the level of sound such as loud or quiet is the absolute threshold. You can apply it to the example you have given. In this instance, a person who is sat in a quiet room alone will be startled when someone knocks at the door because there is no sound around them; therefore the quietness exceeds the threshold when there is a knock at the door. With regards to being in a noisy room, the individual won't be as startled, because there is noise going on around them therefore the stimulus does not affect them as highly because they are already used to a level of continuous sound.

• What is difference threshold law?

You mentioned that difference threshold law could be the possible answer to your question. In this instance, difference threshold law is more concerned with the stimulus rather than the situation surrounding it.

In this case, the focus would be on the sound of the knock at the door rather than the loudness or quietness in the room. When testing difference threshold, an individual will have to judge between two stimuli such as sound or weight.

For example, studies have attempted to see how the difference in stimuli affects the subject who is partaking in the study. When it comes to noise, a researcher will play different levels of high and low sounds and will determine how the subject perceives them.

I think it is the absolute threshold, but wouldnt like to say for sure. Another Blurtit member has written a very helpful description of absolute threshold law, which you might find useful - please click here to read it.