Elementary Signal Detection Theory / Edition 1

by Thomas D. Wickens

Overview

Signal detection theory, as developed in electrical engineering and based on statistical decision theory, was first applied to human sensory discrimination about 40 years ago. The theory's intent was to explain how humans discriminate and how we might use reliable measures to quantify this ability. An interesting finding of this work is that decisions are involved even in the simplest of discrimination tasks—say, determining whether or not a sound has been heard (a yes-no decision). Detection theory has been applied to a host of varied problems (for example, measuring the accuracy of diagnostic systems, survey research, reliability of lie detection tests) and extends far beyond the detection of signals. This book is a primer on signal detection theory, useful for both undergraduates and graduate students.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195092509
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	10/11/2001
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	9.54(w) x 6.56(h) x 0.82(d)

About the Author

Thomas D. Wickens is Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Table of Contents

1. The signal-detection model2. The equal-variance Gaussian model3. Operating characteristics and the Gaussian model4. Measures of detection performance5. Confidence ratings6. Forced-choice procedures7. Discrimination and identification8. Finite-state models9. Likelihoods and likelihood ratios10. Multidimensional stimuli11. Statistical treatmentAppendix A summary of probability theoryReferencesIndex

Editorial Reviews

"This book contains the theoretical explications of the ways observers detect weak, uncertain, or ambiguous signals. It explains the math underlying the theory, and outlines its uses in measuring an observer's sensitivity. The book is intended to serve as an introductory text for undergraduate or graduate courses in sensation and perception, psychophysics, cognition, and quantitative methods; it may also be used as a reference for researchers. Wickens teaches at the University of California, Los Angeles."—SciTech Book News

From the Publisher