A digitization theory of the Weber–Fechner law

Abstract

AbstractEver since the publication of Shannon’s article about information theory, there have been many attempts to apply information theory to the neuroscience field. Meanwhile, the Weber–Fechner law of psychophysics states that the magnitude of a subjective sensation of a person increases in proportion to the logarithm of the intensity of the external physical-stimulus. It is hardly surprising that we assign the amount of information to the response in the Weber–Fechner law. But to date no one has succeeded in applying information theory directly to that law: the direct links between information theory and that response in the Weber–Fechner law have not yet been found. The proposed theory unveils a link between information theory and that response, and differs subtly from the field such as neural coding that involves complicated calculations and models. Because my theory targets the Weber–Fechner law which is a macroscopic phenomenon, this theory does not involve complicated calculations. My theory is expected to mark a new era in the fields of sensory perception research. My theory must be studied in parallel with the fields of microscopic scale such as neural coding. This article ultimately aims to provide the fundamental concepts and their applications so that a new field of research on stimuli and responses can be created.