In an experiment, researchers find that certain neurons in the visual cortex preferentially fire in response to a bar of light that is oriented at a specific angle, and that different neurons similarly respond to bars of light oriented at different angles. This finding provides the strongest evidence for:

Feature detection

Explanation:

Feature detection involves different neurons that are activated in response to specific stimuli. For example, feature detectors are activated in the cerebral cortex through visual stimuli of specific shapes or patterns. These neurons become more and more complex as the stimuli also become progressively more complex and specific. Featured detector neurons have been identified in the toad vision, where they have been involved in the toad's behavior in response to worm-like moving stimuli (e.g., orienting), and the bat auditory cortex, where they have been involved in the measurement of the distance between the bat and its prey.