stimulus

stimulus

 [stim´u-lus] (L.)

any agent, act, or influence that produces functional or trophic reaction in a receptor or an irritable tissue.

conditioned stimulus a stimulus that acquires the ability to evoke a given response by repeatedly being linked with another stimulus that naturally evokes that response; see also conditioning.

depolarizing stimulus a stimulus that lowers the resting potential, making the inside of a fiber less negative. In cardiac fibers this means bringing the resting potential from −90 mV to −70 mV.

discriminative stimulus a stimulus associated with reinforcement, which exerts control over a given type of behavior; the subject must discriminate between closely related stimuli and respond positively only with this particular stimulus.

eliciting stimulus any stimulus, conditioned or unconditioned, that elicits a response.

threshold stimulus a stimulus that is just strong enough to elicit a response.

unconditioned stimulus any stimulus that naturally evokes a specific response; see also conditioning.

Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.

stim·u·lus

, pl.

stim·u·li

(stim'yū-lŭs, -lī),

1. A stimulant.

2. That which can elicit or evoke action (response) in a muscle, nerve, gland or other excitable tissue, or cause an augmenting action upon any function or metabolic process.

[L. a goad]

Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

stimulus

(stĭm′yə-ləs)

n. pl. stimu·li (-lī′)

1. Something causing or regarded as causing a response.

2. An agent, action, or condition that elicits or accelerates a physiological or psychological activity or response.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2007, 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

stim·u·lus

, pl. stimuli (stim'yū-lŭs, -lī)

1. A stimulant.

2. That which can elicit or evoke action (response) in a muscle, nerve, gland or other excitable tissue, or cause an augmenting action on any function or metabolic process.

[L. a goad]

Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012

stimulus

Anything that causes a response, either in an excitable tissue or in an organism.

Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005

stimulus

any detectable change in the environment (internal or external) of an organism which is capable of activating a receptor and thus producing a RESPONSE in the whole organism or parts of it.

Collins Dictionary of Biology, 3rd ed. © W. G. Hale, V. A. Saunders, J. P. Margham 2005

Stimulus

A factor capable of eliciting a response in a nerve.

Mentioned in: Pain, Pain Management

Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

stimulus 

Any agent or environmental change that provokes a response. Plural: stimuli. See action potential.
adequate stimulus A stimulus of sufficient intensity and of appropriate nature to provoke a response in a given receptor. Visible light is the adequate stimulus for the eye, but pressure on the eye that may nevertheless produce a response (called a phosphene) is an inadequate stimulus.
inadequate stimulus  See adequate stimulus.
liminal stimulus A stimulus of an intensity such that it just provokes a response that is at threshold. Syn. threshold stimulus.
threshold stimulus See liminal stimulus.

Millodot: Dictionary of Optometry and Visual Science, 7th edition. © 2009 Butterworth-Heinemann

stim·u·lus

, pl. stimuli (stim'yū-lŭs, -lī)

That which can elicit or evoke action (response) in a muscle, nerve, gland or other excitable tissue, or cause augmenting action on any function or metabolic process.

[L. a goad]

Medical Dictionary for the Dental Professions © Farlex 2012