A goad; hence, something that rouses the mind or spirits; an incentive; as, the hope of gain is a powerful stimulus to labor and action.

That which excites or produces a temporary increase of vital action, either in the whole organism or in any of its parts; especially (Physiol.), any substance or agent capable of evoking the activity of a nerve or irritable muscle, or capable of producing an impression upon a sensory organ or more particularly upon its specific end organ.

Anything in the environment that causes a behavior to occur. This could be anything from a loud noise that makes a person jump, to a verbal request that gets a person to perform some action.

Something that triggers a response. For example, touching a hot surface would be the stimulus to remove your hand from that surface.

any stimulating information or event; acts to arouse action

a communication between two instances and is generated by an action

a communication between two Instances that conveys information with the expectation that action will ensue

The passing of information from one instance to another, such as raising a signal or invoking an operation. The receipt of a signal is normally considered an event. See: message.

a change in the environment that may be of sufficient strength to initiate an impulse

a signal from the animal's body or its environment

The agent which acts upon nerve or other tissues in such a manner as to change their activity.

Any information coming into the body that is capable of generating a nerve impulse.

a cue or drive meant to arouse or motivate a person to act

A cue (social or commercial) or a drive (physical) meant to motivate or arouse a person to act.

Psychological term commonly used to refer to a cue, signal, or other sensory input that stimulates activity in the brain. Stimulus is the most general term and does not carry any connotation that the presentation is intentional Cue Deck