Signal detection theory: false alarm vs. miss
During a hearing test, a patient reports hearing a tone on a trial when no tone was played. In signal detection theory, this response is a:
Answer A: explanation for every choice
A
Correct. A false alarm is responding “yes” when no signal is present.
B
A miss is failing to detect a signal that is present.
C
A hit is correctly detecting a signal that is present.
D
A correct rejection is correctly reporting no signal when none is present.
TakeawaySignal present: hit or miss. Signal absent: false alarm or correct rejection.
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Reviewed 2026-11-05 by a medical student. Spot an error? Report it with question ID ps26.