Contrast Threshold
Updated 2026-08-05
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
The contrast threshold is the minimum difference between two stimuli that an eye or another sense can resolve. It is not fixed: by Weber's law it scales with the intensity of the background, and it also varies with spatial frequency. The practical consequence is that an improvement smaller than the threshold is invisible to users, so changes must exceed it in order to be felt.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Threshold estimate: derive the smallest change users can actually notice from the background intensity level. - Overshoot rule: make the proposed improvement clearly exceed that perceptual threshold. - Context correction: remember that a stronger background always demands a bigger increment.
Anchor fast decisions
Sensory discrimination between two stimuli depends on the background intensity, approximated by Weber's law, where the just-noticeable difference is a constant fraction of the stimulus, and it shifts with spatial frequency. Changes below that threshold are simply not perceived.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrast_(visionverified
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