The fact that your criterion for "hearing" mysterious noises at night may change after a rash of burglaries in your neighborhood can best be explained by
A) Weber's law.
B) Fechner's law.
C) sensory adaptation.
D) signal-detection theory.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The change in criterion for hearing mysterious noises at night can be best explained by signal-detection theory, which describes how an individual's threshold for detecting a stimulus can be influenced by external factors, such as the prevalence of the stimulus (i.e. burglaries in the neighborhood). In this case, the individual may lower their threshold for detecting mysterious noises in order to be more sensitive to potential danger.

The Fact That Your Criterion for "Hearing" Mysterious Noises at Night