A procedure for detecting variability of psychophysical thresholds. 1983

J L Hall

In adaptive psychophysical testing, it is desirable to identify experimental runs during which the subject's threshold changes. This is not easy to do, because the testing level changes during the course of the run. The following screening procedure can assist in detecting threshold variability. At the conclusion of the run, determine for each trial the discrepancy between observed and expected response. Next, determine the linear regression of this discrepancy upon trial number. If the subject's response behavior is stable and well described by the psychometric function, then the expected value of slope of the linear regression is equal to zero. If the observed slope differs greatly from zero, then it is unlikely that the subject's response behavior is stable. Results from computer simulations and psychophysical experiments are presented.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D011571 Psychoacoustics The science pertaining to the interrelationship of psychologic phenomena and the individual's response to the physical properties of sound. Psychoacoustic
D011594 Psychometrics Assessment of psychological variables by the application of mathematical procedures. Psychometric
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001309 Auditory Threshold The audibility limit of discriminating sound intensity and pitch. Auditory Thresholds,Threshold, Auditory,Thresholds, Auditory
D013223 Statistics as Topic Works about the science and art of collecting, summarizing, and analyzing data that are subject to random variation. Area Analysis,Estimation Technics,Estimation Techniques,Indirect Estimation Technics,Indirect Estimation Techniques,Multiple Classification Analysis,Service Statistics,Statistical Study,Statistics, Service,Tables and Charts as Topic,Analyses, Area,Analyses, Multiple Classification,Area Analyses,Classification Analyses, Multiple,Classification Analysis, Multiple,Estimation Technic, Indirect,Estimation Technics, Indirect,Estimation Technique,Estimation Technique, Indirect,Estimation Techniques, Indirect,Indirect Estimation Technic,Indirect Estimation Technique,Multiple Classification Analyses,Statistical Studies,Studies, Statistical,Study, Statistical,Technic, Indirect Estimation,Technics, Estimation,Technics, Indirect Estimation,Technique, Estimation,Technique, Indirect Estimation,Techniques, Estimation,Techniques, Indirect Estimation

Related Publications

J L Hall
December 1980, Physiology & behavior,
J L Hall
June 2003, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America,
J L Hall
January 1958, Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior,
J L Hall
September 1952, Journal of the Optical Society of America,
J L Hall
January 2000, Audiology : official organ of the International Society of Audiology,
J L Hall
May 1992, Perception & psychophysics,
Copied contents to your clipboard!