Faint stimuli refers to weak or low-intensity sensory signals that are difficult to detect due to background noise. In other words, it's when we try to notice subtle sensory information while there are distracting or competing sounds, sights, or other stimuli present.
Related terms
Threshold: The threshold is the specific point at which a stimulus becomes strong enough for us to notice it.
Sensory Adaptation: Sensory adaptation refers to our tendency to become less sensitive or responsive to constant or repetitive stimuli over time.
Signal Detection Theory: Signal detection theory explores how we make decisions about detecting faint signals in an environment with varying levels of background noise.