signal detection theory
Definition
Signal detection theory is a longstanding and well-established approach for separating discernment from response bias, and has increasingly been applied to misinformation research to distinguish accurate identification of false information as false and true information as true from overall tendencies to label information as true or false regardless of veracity. The theory produces separate measures of discernment and response bias for both type-1 tasks (requiring participants to distinguish between signal and noise trials, such as discerning true claims from false ones) and type-2 tasks (examining metacognitive judgments about the accuracy of one's own responses). Intellectual humility is related to greater misinformation discernment and metacognitive insight but not to response bias.
Sources: Prike et al. (2024)
Related Terms
Applications
Signal Detection Theory and Intellectual Humility
Signal detection theory has been applied to examine the relationship between intellectual humility and both misinformation discernment (type-1 SDT) and metacognitive insight (type-2 SDT), allowing researchers to disentangle whether intellectual humility reduces misinformation susceptibility through improved ability to distinguish true from false information or through conservative response bias. Research using this framework found that intellectual humility was associated with greater misinformation discernment and metacognitive insight but not with response bias, indicating that intellectually humble individuals are not simply more skeptical of all claims but genuinely better at discerning truth from falsehood.
Sources: Prike et al. (2024)
Signal Detection Theory and Metacognition
Type-2 signal detection theory extends the traditional framework to metacognitive tasks, measuring both metacognitive discernment (ability to discern one's own correct and incorrect responses) and metacognitive response bias (tendency to report or withhold one's judgments). This application is particularly valuable in examining intellectual humility, given the central role of metacognitive awareness in the construct.
Sources: Prike et al. (2024)
