What is the name for the process that converts outside stimuli into neural activity?

The correct answer is transduction. This term refers to the process by which external stimuli, such as light, sound, or touch, are converted into neural signals that can be interpreted by the brain. Transduction is essential for sensory systems to function; it allows us to perceive our environment through the interpretation of these neural signals. For example, when light hits the retina in the eye, photoreceptors convert this light into electrical impulses, which are then transmitted to the brain for processing.

Perception, although closely related, is the process that follows transduction. Once stimuli have been transduced into neural activity, perception involves interpreting these signals, allowing us to make sense of what we are experiencing.

Priming is a psychological phenomenon related to the activation of certain associations in memory, while psychophysics studies the relationship between physical stimuli and the sensations and perceptions they produce. Neither of these concepts directly relates to the conversion of stimuli into neural activity.