Objective Characteristics

By means of sociological research we get a subjective assessment of phenomena based on informant's perception. However, we can perform the "correction of objective reality" on the basis of these estimates. Unfortunately, subjective and objective estimates have non-linear relations. For example, when a second candle is brought into a room with the first one already burning, there's increase in illumination. If the same experiment were repeated in a room with a hundred candles burning, there would be no tangible difference in illumination. This served as a starting point for E.H. Weber's definition and experimental testing of the law of constant ratio between the objective increase in stimulus to the original value, that subjectively reflects a slightly perceptible difference in perception. This ratio of defines the differential perception threshold. Setting this correlation equal to a slight change in perception (  - coefficient that depends on perception modality) and reaching the limit, G.T. Fechner arrived at the relation between the objective change of stimulus and subjective change in perception: . Consequently, , assuming that ,  we obtain:  . As long as , where - is the absolute lowest perception threshold, , therefore  . That results in   or .

We see that the Weber-Fechner law shows that the increase in stimulus intensity in geometric progression corresponds to the increase in perception in arithmetic progression.

Other scholars believe that this rule is best described through the polynomial law. In any case, though, this link turns out to be non-linear. Moreover, the more intensively a property is expressed, the more difficult it is to subjectively differentiate between degrees of intensity. That is why it is practically impossible to obtain valid quantitative figures in sociological research without considering the above factor. The most frequently used sociological and psychological scales (Charles Osgood etc.) don't regard this effect as important.

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