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PSYCHOPHYSICS OF STOCHASTIC RESONANCE

LAWRENCE M. WARD

Department of Psychology and The Brain Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4, Canada

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https://doi.org/10.1142/S0219477504001616Cited by:18 (Source: Crossref)

Abstract

Although stochastic resonance has been demonstrated for many physical and biological systems, in both dynamic and threshold forms, its study in whole human beings presents special problems. Psychophysics provides theoretical and methodological tools for measuring information processing by humans, but modern psychophysics seems to be incompatible with some of the concepts of current theories of stochastic resonance. In this paper I review some of these problems, providing suggestions for solutions where none have as yet appeared. In particular, I discuss incompatibilities between signal detection theory and threshold stochastic resonance, and the problem of the effect of noise on information transfer across a "soft" threshold.

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