Related Experiment Videos
Lapse resistance in the verbal letter reporting task.
1Arlene R. Gordon Research Institute, Lighthouse International, 111 East 59th Street, New York, NY 10022, USA. aarditi@lighthouse.org
Vision Research
|July 27, 2005
Summary
Misreporting errors, or lapses, can impact threshold measurement accuracy. However, in a common clinical setting where observers control their pace and can correct responses, the lapse rate is negligible.
Area of Science:
- Psychophysics
- Clinical measurement science
Background:
- Lapses, or misreporting errors, can compromise the accuracy of threshold measurements in psychophysical tests.
- Assumptions regarding lapse rates, particularly with untrained observers, have influenced the design of clinical psychophysical tests.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the lapse rate in a standard clinical psychophysical paradigm.
- To determine if observer-paced reporting and response amendment opportunities mitigate lapse rates.
Main Methods:
- A verbal letter identification paradigm, similar to those used in visual acuity and contrast sensitivity testing, was employed.
- Subjects' responses were monitored for errors, with spontaneous corrections noted and excluded.
Main Results:
- The assessed lapse rate was negligible, ranging from 0-3 errors per 1,536 trials, averaging 0.0005.
- Slip-of-the-tongue errors were occasionally observed but were spontaneously corrected by subjects.
Conclusions:
- In common clinical psychophysical paradigms allowing observers to set their reporting pace and amend responses, the lapse rate is negligible.
- The design of such tests effectively minimizes the impact of misreporting errors on measurement accuracy.