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Psychophysiology examines the relationship between the properties of a physical stimulus (eg, amplitude of sound waves) and how we perceive that stimulus (eg, loudness) . However, this relationship is often accompanied by a degree of uncertainty as the stimulus of interest, or signal, can be confounded by various sources of noise. Noise can be either external (arising from the environment) or internal (arising from physiological sources) .To investigate the effect of distraction on auditory perception, researchers tested the ability of subjects to detect auditory tones presented during a visual-memory task. The study included 90 participants age 18-65, and each participant completed 10 trials. Trials consisted of five 800-Hz tones presented randomly while participants viewed a set of 15 sequential pictures of common objects on a computer screen. The objects fell into one of three categories: animals, vehicles, or things that make noise. Half the participants were asked to memorize as many objects as they could (objects group) , and half were asked to remember only the categories of objects they saw (categories group) . Tones were presented bilaterally within a range of 0-20 dB. Participants noted when they detected a tone during the trial by pressing a button. Results of the study are shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 Mean percentage of tones correctly identified in each visual-memory task group (Note: Error bars indicate 95% confidence intervals.)
W. Yost ©2007 Academic Press.
-Using the principles of signal detection theory, researchers likely hypothesized that:

Question

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Psychophysiology examines the relationship between the properties of a physical stimulus (eg, amplitude of sound waves) and how we perceive that stimulus (eg, loudness) . However, this relationship is often accompanied by a degree of uncertainty as the stimulus of interest, or signal, can be confounded by various sources of noise. Noise can be either external (arising from the environment) or internal (arising from physiological sources) .To investigate the effect of distraction on auditory perception, researchers tested the ability of subjects to detect auditory tones presented during a visual-memory task. The study included 90 participants age 18-65, and each participant completed 10 trials. Trials consisted of five 800-Hz tones presented randomly while participants viewed a set of 15 sequential pictures of common objects on a computer screen. The objects fell into one of three categories: animals, vehicles, or things that make noise. Half the participants were asked to memorize as many objects as they could (objects group) , and half were asked to remember only the categories of objects they saw (categories group) . Tones were presented bilaterally within a range of 0-20 dB. Participants noted when they detected a tone during the trial by pressing a button. Results of the study are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1 Mean percentage of tones correctly identified in each visual-memory task group (Note: Error bars indicate 95% confidence intervals.)
W. Yost ©2007 Academic Press.
-Using the principles of signal detection theory, researchers likely hypothesized that:

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

11ecba2d_0c6d_5865_a3bf_77372fe48023_MD0008_00 Signal detection theory quantifies how judgments or decisions are made under uncertain conditions amid "noise" (external or internal distractions). This theory describes four possible outcomes. When a signal is correctly perceived as present, it is a correct detection, or a "hit." When a signal is not detected even though it is present, it is a false negative, or a "miss." When a signal is absent but a perception is erroneously reported, this is a false positive, and when the signal is accurately judged absent, this is a correct rejection. In the study, the signal to be detected is the auditory tone. The visual-memory task is a distraction that provides both external noise (distracting visual stimulus) and internal noise (cognitive processing). The researchers likely predicted that those in the categories group would detect more tones than those in the objects group because their assignment was easier and required less focus. Stated another way, researchers hypothesized that the categories group would correctly identify tones more often. (Choice A) The researchers are unlikely to predict that those in the categories group (easier assignment) would report hearing a tone when it was not present (false positive) more often than would those in the objects group (harder assignment). (Choice C) The researchers are unlikely to predict that those in the categories group (easier assignment) would miss a tone when it was present more often than would those in the objects group (harder assignment). (Choice D) The researchers are unlikely to predict that those in the objects group (harder assignment) would correctly report not hearing a tone when it was not present more often than would those in the categories group (easier assignment). Educational objective: Signal detection theory quantifies how decisions are made amid noise (distractions). The theory includes four possible outcomes: correct detection (signal present and correctly detected), false negative (signal present but not detected), false positive (signal absent but incorrectly detected), or correct rejection (signal absent and correctly determined to be absent).

Passage Psychophysiology Examines the Relationship Between the Properties of a Physical