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Updated: May 21, 2026

A Tactile Automated Passive-Finger Stimulator (TAPS)
19:44

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The psychometric function: the lapse rate revisited.

Nicolaas Prins1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA. nprins@olemiss.edu

Journal of Vision
|June 21, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Estimating psychometric functions can be biased if lapse rates are ignored. While Wichmann and Hill suggested freeing the lapse rate reduces bias, this study finds significant bias persists, proposing a new method for unbiased parameter estimates.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychophysics
  • Computational Neuroscience
  • Statistical Modeling

Background:

  • Psychometric functions are crucial for understanding perception.
  • Ignoring lapse rates in psychometric function fitting can lead to biased threshold and slope estimates.
  • Wichmann and Hill (2001) proposed a method to mitigate bias by allowing lapse rates to vary.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To replicate and critically evaluate Wichmann and Hill's (2001) findings on lapse rate estimation in psychometric functions.
  • To investigate the persistence of bias in parameter estimates when lapse rates are freely estimated.
  • To propose an alternative modeling strategy for unbiased psychometric function parameter estimation.

Main Methods:

  • Replication of Wichmann and Hill's (2001) simulation experiments.
  • Analysis of parameter estimates (threshold, slope) under different lapse rate fitting conditions.
  • Development and testing of an alternative method for incorporating lapse rates.

Main Results:

  • The study successfully replicated the finding that assuming a zero lapse rate introduces bias when lapses occur.
  • Contrary to Wichmann and Hill (2001), freeing the lapse rate did not eliminate bias in threshold and slope estimates.
  • Significant and systematic bias was observed even when lapse rates were freely estimated using the suggested method.

Conclusions:

  • The method proposed by Wichmann and Hill (2001) for estimating psychometric functions does not fully resolve bias issues related to lapse rates.
  • A novel strategy for incorporating lapse rates is presented, which yields essentially unbiased parameter estimates.
  • Accurate estimation of psychometric function parameters requires careful consideration and modeling of lapse rates.