In a study, researchers asked radiologists to detect faint tumors in chest X-rays under two conditions. In condition A, they were told tumors were rare; in condition B, they were told tumors were common. Hit rates and false alarm rates were recorded. Radiologists in condition B identified more tumors correctly but also produced more false alarms than those in condition A. Sensitivity to the actual signal was unchanged.
The shift in radiologists' performance between conditions reflects a change in which aspect of signal detection?
- A
Absolute threshold
- B
Difference threshold
- Ccheck_circle
Response criterion (decision threshold)
- D
Sensitivity (d-prime)
Explanation
Because sensitivity (d-prime) was unchanged but both hits and false alarms increased, the radiologists shifted their decision criterion to be more liberal in condition B.