Jack and Truman are participants in an experiment. They sit before a computer screen that flashes words, each of which is exposed for different amounts of time. Their task is to say when they see a real word and to tell what that word was. Let's say Jack reports seeing the word "SEX" on the third trial, whereas Truman does not see "SEX" until the tenth trial. What does this finding reveal about Jack and Truman?
A) They may differ in their perceptual sensitivity.
B) They may differ in their decision criteria.
C) Jack sees more "false alarms" than does Truman.
D) Both a and b are correct answers.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The fact that Jack saw the word "SEX" on the third trial while Truman did not see it until the tenth trial suggests that they may differ in their perceptual sensitivity. This means that Jack may be more sensitive to detecting stimuli than Truman. Additionally, their different responses could also reflect differences in their decision criteria. Therefore, both options A and B are correct answers. Choice C is not accurate because it suggests that Jack reports more false alarms than Truman, which is not necessarily supported by the information given.

Jack and Truman Are Participants in an Experiment