On Monday,Manuel interviewed for a job that he really wants.The interviewer told Manuel that he would call on Friday to tell Manuel if he got the job.On late Friday afternoon,Manuel is in the shower,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; psychophysics
B) sensory adaptation; psychophysics
C) response bias; signal detection theory
D) sensory adaptation; signal detection theory

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Manuel is experiencing response bias, as he is expecting and anticipating the call from the interviewer. This relates to signal detection theory, which focuses on how people make decisions about sensory stimuli in the presence of uncertainty, such as identifying the presence or absence of a phone call in a noisy environment. Sensory adaptation, on the other hand, refers to a decrease in sensitivity to a constant stimulus over time, which is not the case for Manuel in this scenario.

On Monday,Manuel Interviewed for a Job That He Really Wants