Midterm 2 Flashcards
where is the signal detection theory stemmed from?
radar activation (world war II)
what does the signal detection theory state?
that nearly ALL reasoning and decision making takes place in the presence of some uncertainty
what is the purpose of signal detection theory?
provides a precise language and graphic notation for analyzing decision making in the presence of uncertainty
what are some direct applications of signal detection theory?
- sensory experiments –> ex: outside events detected by nervous system
- medicine & diagnosis –> ex: have disease or not
- electronics & telecommunication –> ex: radars
- legal settings –> ex: someone guilty or innocent
- alarm management –> ex: emergency occurring or not
- inferential statistics & hypothesis testing –> ex: assume uncertainty has an effect but still form hypothesis and conduct experiment, just need to see if results are significant or not
what is the signal detection theory framework?
- how to look at the situation in question
- table –> 4 squares total
- vertical = ground truth (present or absent) –> not known to us
- horizontal = decision (yes or no) –> known through physical evidence
what is the purpose of the signal detection theory framework?
to maximize correct decisions (hit and CR) as much as possible while still acknowledging that errors may be present
describe the 4 outcomes of signal detection theory framework?
- hit –> ground truth = present; decision = yes (correct)
- miss –> ground truth = present; decision = no (incorrect)
- false alarm –> ground truth = absent; decision = yes (incorrect)
- correct reject –> ground truth = absent; decision = no (correct)
what was the signal detection theory framework example explained in class?
radiologist examining a CT scan
- presence or absence of a tumor
- radiologist say yes or no for tumor
what are the 2 main components of the decision-making process?
1) information acquisition
2) criterion
what is information acquisition?
- capturing all relevant empirical evident (aka information) to try to make the best decision possible
- uniformly leads to more correct decisions (hit & CR)
what will improve information acquisition
more evidence = less noise = better –> each decision is based on information from empirical evidence, but there can still be an attempt to get more or better evidence
ways to improve information acquisition and real life examples
- using better measurement devices –> ex: CT scans show shape, brightness, and texture of healthy tissue vs. tumors
- more training and practice to learn more information –> ex: doctors will know how to read a CT scan so they can use that tool to help them make their decision
- running another test –> ex: can try a better resolution test (MRI compared to CT) or can try test from a different angle
what is another benefit (that relates to midterm 1 content) of acquiring more information?
more information = more accuracy
what is criterion
- same information, same expertise, same test BUT different decisions –> based on individual’s criterion, not type of information given
- leads to a trade-off bw correct decisions (hits & CR)
what is an example of criterion
doctor isn’t sure if there is a tumor or not –> some are more likely to say yes (resulting in more false alarms), or some are more likely to say no (resulting in more misses)
criterion also includes when decisions are made based on… ?
what kind of error is perceived as more or less acceptable –> ex: some doctors may think its acceptable to have more false alarms compared to misses, or vice versa
impact of criterion: criterion shift results in more “yes”
more hits (less misses) but also more false alarms (less correct rejects)
impact of criterion: criterion shift results in more “no”
more correct reject (less false alarms) but also more misses (less hits)
what do the 2 components of the decision process (information acquisition and criterion) impact in terms of decisions?
accuracy of decisions
___ signal and ___ information uniformly leads to more correct decisions (hits or correct rejects)
greater; better
what is the trade off of criterion changes?
- they have opposing influence on the 2 incorrect decisions –> decreasing misses increases false alarms, decreasing false alarms increases misses
- more evidence not always better
what is internal response?
the variable that forms the basis of the observer’s decision
what contributed to internal response?
internal response = signal + noise
internal response takes on values that ___ from one occasion to another for the ___ same stimulus (aka “signal”)
vary; same