What does Fechner's law emphasize regarding stimulus perception?

Fechner's law focuses on the relationship between the physical intensity of a stimulus and the perceived intensity of that stimulus. Specifically, it posits that perceived intensity increases logarithmically as the physical intensity of the stimulus increases. This means that with each increase in the actual stimulus, the perceived difference in intensity grows progressively smaller. For instance, if a light source's intensity is doubled, the increase in perceived brightness is not proportional; rather, it follows a logarithmic pattern where increments lead to less pronounced differences in perception.

This logarithmic relationship is crucial because it underlines a key principle in psychophysics: our sensory systems do not respond to changes in stimulus intensity in a linear fashion. Instead, as stimuli become more intense, it takes progressively larger increases in intensity for us to perceive them as different. Thus, Fechner's law captures this nuanced perception of stimuli intensity and highlights how our sensory experiences are influenced by the scale of stimulation rather than its absolute values.

In summary, the emphasis of Fechner's law on logarithmic perception provides vital insights into how we process and understand sensory information, underscoring the complexities of human perception and the non-linear nature of sensory experiences.