The fact that your criterion for "hearing" mysterious noises at night may change after a rash of burglaries in your neighborhood can best be explained by

A) Weber's law.
B) Fechner's law.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) signal-detection theory.

Signal-detection theory suggests that our ability to detect a stimulus is not solely based on its physical properties, but also on our individual psychological factors and criteria for detection. In this case, the increased concern for burglary in the neighborhood has likely raised the individual's criterion for "hearing" mysterious noises at night, making them more likely to perceive noises as potential threats even if they are not actually present.