Which concept addresses the issue of how prior experiences influence the interpretation of sensory data?

The concept that directly addresses how prior experiences influence the interpretation of sensory data is conditioning. Conditioning refers to the learning process in which an individual's past experiences shape their responses to certain stimuli. This can be seen in both classical conditioning, where an association is formed between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus, and operant conditioning, where behaviors are influenced by the consequences that follow them.

Prior experiences help form expectations and context, which play a crucial role in how new sensory information is perceived. For example, someone who has had positive experiences with dogs may interpret a dog's barking as playful, while someone with negative experiences may perceive it as threatening. This shows how conditioning allows individuals to filter and interpret sensory data based on their histories, experiences, and learned associations.

The other options relate to different aspects of psychology: infinite regress pertains to philosophical arguments about causal explanations, neural adaptation refers to the process by which neurons become less responsive to constant stimuli, and perceptual threshold is the minimum intensity of a stimulus needed for it to be detected. These concepts do not specifically focus on the role of prior experiences in influencing sensory interpretation like conditioning does.