Signal Detection Theory

Signal detection theory is a theory based on statistical decision processes that distinguishes between an individual’s objective sensitivity and their subjective response criteria when making decisions in situations where it is uncertain whether a signal is present. It is also known as signal detection or signal perception theory. It is an important aspect of modern psychophysics research, aiming to separate an individual’s objective sensitivity to stimuli from their subjective motivations and response biases, addressing issues that were prone to confusion in traditional psychophysics. Signal detection theory initially emerged as an application of information theory in communication engineering, primarily dealing with the effective separation of signals from noise in a noisy background. In 1954, American psychologists William P. Tanner and John A. Swets introduced signal detection theory into psychological experiments. According to this theory, the human sensory and central processing...