When you check your phone, you find that you have several messages. For some reason you didn't notice the sound or vibrations when the messages came in, even though you were waiting for your friends to contact you. According to signal detection theory, your failure to notice the sound or vibration is a

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

False negative refers to the failure to detect a signal when it is present. In this case, the signal was the sound or vibration of the incoming messages, which were not detected by the individual even though they were waiting for them. Therefore, it is a false negative. A true positive would be correctly detecting the signal when it is present, a false positive would be detecting a signal that isn't actually present, and a true negative would be correctly not detecting a signal when it is not present.

When You Check Your Phone, You Find That You Have