The psychophysics of taste from the entropy of the stimulus

Abstract

During the process of perceiving a steady taste stimulus, information is received, or (information) entropy is reduced. A single equation, the entropy equation, relates three fundamental variables-magnitude estimate, stimulus intensity, and stimulus duration. From this single equation, we can derive, in principle, all psychophysical relations for a steady taste stimulus, involving these three variables only. A number of examples are given. The Stevens exponent for taste is derived theoretically for certain experimental conditions, using statistical mechanics. Weber's constant is derived in terms of the information transmitted per taste stimulus. The concept of a "surface of perception" is introduced. © 1984 Psychonomic Society, Inc.