Proposal new area of study by connecting between information theory and Weber-Fechner law

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel interdisciplinary approach connecting information theory with the Weber-Fechner law from psychophysics, introducing a new entropy concept to mathematically measure perception of stimuli.

Contribution

It introduces a new field by linking information theory and psychophysics, defining a new entropy to quantify perceptions of physical stimuli.

Findings

A theoretical framework connecting information theory and psychophysics.

Definition of a new entropy based on this connection.

Potential for a new interdisciplinary research field.

Abstract

Rough speaking, information theory deals with data transmitted over a channel such as the internet. Modern information theory is generally considered to have been founded in 1948 by Shannon in his seminal paper, "A mathematical theory of communication." Shannon's formulation of information theory was an immediate success with communications engineers. Shannon defined mathematically the amount of information transmitted over a channel. The amount of information doesn't mean the number of symbols of data. It depends on occurrence probabilities of symbols of the data. Meanwhile, psychophysics is the study of quantitative relations between psychological events and physical events or, more specifically, between sensations and the stimuli that produce them. It seems that Shannon's information theory bears no relation to psychophysics established by German scientist and philosopher Fechner. Here I show that to our astonishment it is possible to combine two fields. And therefore we come to be capable of measuring mathematically perceptions of the physical stimuli applicable to the Weber-Fechner law. I will define the concept of new entropy. And as a consequence of this, new field will begin life.