Certain medical tests are controversial because they correctly report the presence of a disease most of the time,but also falsely report it in many healthy people.This problem is an example of what?
A)Social learning theory
B)Gestalt theory
C)Signal-detection theory
D)Opponent-process theory

Question

Certain medical tests are controversial because they correctly report the presence of a disease most of the time,but also falsely report it in many healthy people.This problem is an example of what?​
A)Social learning theory
B)​Gestalt theory
C)​Signal-detection theory
D)​Opponent-process theory

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The problem described in the question is an example of the signal-detection theory. This theory deals with the ability to detect the presence of a signal (in this case, the disease) in the midst of noise (in this case, healthy people). The ability to detect a signal depends on both the sensitivity of the detector (the test) and the criteria used to make a decision. In this case, the test is correctly reporting the presence of the disease most of the time (high sensitivity) but also falsely reporting it in many healthy people (low specificity).

Certain Medical Tests Are Controversial Because They Correctly Report the Presence