Distal Stimulus:

A distal stimulus refers to an object or event present in the external world that generates sensory information, which is then perceived and processed by an organism’s senses. It is the physical entity that induces a response in the sensory receptors of an organism.

The term “distal” signifies that the stimulus is situated at a distance from the perceiving organism. It refers to the external cause of sensory input, as opposed to the proximal stimulus, which is the sensory information received by the organism’s sensory organs.