Signal detection theory
My work in signal detection theory falls
into several categories.
(1) A book, now in its second edition, that attempts to
introduce the topic at a level suitable for a beginning researcher and is also
intended as a reference book.
(2) Journal articles in which I and collaborators have
studied the statistical and mathematical characteristics of SDT measures and
their use in specific content areas.
(3) Chapters or brief entries in handbooks and
encyclopedias.
(4) Commentaries on colleagues’ articles and books in the
field (and in other areas of psychophysics).
(5) Three pieces of SDT software, both available via links:
(a) A program, d’plus, can be used to find estimates of sensitivity and
bias parameters from data collected using many experimental paradigms. (b) Statistical properties of ROC parameters
can be explored via extensive tables. (c) Statistical properties of
single-point sensitivity measures are also tabled.
Much of this research was done in
collaboration with Doug Creelman. He and
I started working together during my sabbatical at
Book
Macmillan, N. A., & Creelman, C. D. (2005). Detection Theory: A User's Guide (2nd ed.).
Macmillan, N. A., & Creelman, C. D. (1991). Detection Theory: A User's Guide.
Journal articles
Verde, M.F., Macmillan, N.A., and Rotello, C.M. (2006). Measures of sensitivity based on a single hit
rate and false-alarm rate: The accuracy, precision, and robustness of d΄, Az, and A΄. Perception & Psychophysics, 68,
643-654.
Macmillan, N. A., Rotello, C. M., & Miller, J. O. (2004). The
sampling distributions of Gaussian ROC statistics. Perception & Psychophysics, 66,
406-421.
Klein, S. A., & Macmillan,
N. A. (2001). Psychometric functions
and adaptive methods. [Special issue]. Perception
& Psychophysics, 63(8).
Macmillan,
N. A. (2001). Threshold estimation: The state of the
art. Perception & Psychophysics,
63, 1277-1278.
Macmillan, N. A., & Ornstein, A. (1998). The mean-integral representation of
rectangles. Perception & Psychophysics, 60, 250-262.
Macmillan, N. A., & Creelman, C. D. (1997). d'plus: A program to calculate accuracy and bias
measures from detection and discrimination data. Spatial Vision, 11, 141-143.
Macmillan, N. A., & Creelman, C. D. (1996). Triangles in ROC space: History and theory of
"nonparametric" measures of sensitivity and response bias. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review,
3, 164-170.
Macmillan, N. A., & Creelman, C. D. (1990). Response bias: Characteristics of detection theory,
threshold theory, and "nonparametric" measures. Psychological Bulletin, 107,
401‑413.
Durlach, N.I., Tan,
H.Z., Macmillan, N. A., Rabinowitz, W.R., & Braida, L.D.
(1989). Resolution in one dimension with
random variations in background dimensions.
Perception & Psychophysics, 46, 293‑296.
Macmillan, N. A., & Kaplan, H. L. (1985). Detection theory analysis of group data: Estimating sensitivity from average hit and
false‑alarm rates. Psychological
Bulletin, 98, 185‑199.
Macmillan, N. A., Kaplan, H. L., & Creelman, C. D.
(1977). The psychophysics of categorical
perception. Psychological Review,
84, 452‑471.
Chapters in handbooks, encyclopedias, and
other edited volumes
Macmillan,
N. A. (2002). Signal detection theory. In H. Pashler (Ed.) & J. Wixted (Vol.
Ed.), Stevens Handbook of Experimental Psychology: Vol. 4. Methodology
(3rd ed., pp. 43-90).
Macmillan, N. A. (2001).
Sensation and perception: Signal detection theory. In N. J. Smelser & P. B. Baltes (Eds.), International
Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Pergamon:
Macmillan, N. A. (1999). Signal detection theory. In R. A. Wilson & F. C. Keil (Eds.), MIT
Encyclopedia of the Cognitive Sciences (pp. 760-763).
Macmillan, N. A. (1993).
Signal detection theory as data analysis method and psychological
decision model. In G. Keren & C.
Lewis (Eds.), Methodological and Quantitative Issues in the Analysis of
Psychological Data: Vol 1 (pp. 21-57).
Macmillan, N. A. (1985).
What sort of psychophysics is infant psychophysics? In S. E. Trehub & B. Schneider (Eds.), Auditory
Development in Infancy (pp. 231‑239).
Commentaries in Behavioral and Brain
Sciences
Macmillan, N. A. (1999).
Better ways to study penetrability with detection theory. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 22,
384.
Macmillan, N. A. (1992).
Covert converging operations for multidimensional psychophysics. Behavioral
and Brain Sciences, 15, 573-574.
Macmillan, N. A., Braida, L. D., & Durlach, N. I.
(1989). Psychophysical laws: A call for deregulation. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 12,
282.
Macmillan, N. A. (1988).
How sensory an Analysis? Behavioral
and Brain Sciences, 11, 303‑304.
Macmillan,
N. A. (1986). The psychophysics of subliminal
perception. Behavioral and Brain
Sciences, 9, 38‑39.
Software related to above articles
Verde, M.F., Macmillan, N.A., & Rotello, C.M. (2006). Measures of sensitivity based on a single hit
rate and false-alarm rate: The accuracy, precision, and robustness of d΄, Az, and A΄. Perception
& Psychophysics, 68, 643-654.
The calculations reported in this article
are summarized in tables to be found at the Psychonomic Society Archive: http://www.psychonomic.org/archive/index.cgi
Macmillan, N. A., Rotello, C. M., & Miller, J. O.
(2004). The sampling distributions of
Gaussian ROC statistics. Perception
& Psychophysics, 66, 406-421.
The calculations reported in this article
are summarized in tables to be found at
http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~caren/Design/Assets/index.htm
Macmillan, N. A., & Creelman, C. D. (1997). d'plus: A program to calculate accuracy and bias
measures from detection and discrimination data. Spatial Vision, 11, 141-143.
This program can be downloaded from
http://psych.utoronto.ca/~creelman