Manuel is waiting to hear back about a job he interviewed for.Manuel takes a shower while he waits.While he is in the shower, he keeps straining to hear the phone above the noise of the water.Whenever he hears a sound, he thinks it is the phone.Manuel is showing , a concept described in .
A)response bias; opponent-process theory
B)sensory adaptation; opponent-process theory
C)response bias; signal detection theory
D)sensory adaptation; signal detection theory

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Manuel's behavior is an example of response bias, which is the tendency to respond in a certain way based on internal factors rather than external factors. In this case, Manuel's internal factor is his desire to hear back about the job, which is causing him to strain to hear the phone and interpret any sound as the phone ringing. This behavior is consistent with signal detection theory, which examines how people detect meaningful stimuli in a noisy environment.

Manuel Is Waiting to Hear Back About a Job He