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Response Time as a Proxy for Decision Confidence: Insights From Type-2 ROC Analysis
Kiyofumi Miyoshi1, Dobromir Rahnev2, Hakwan Lau3,4,5
1Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Open Mind : Discoveries in Cognitive Science
|June 5, 2026
Summary
Response time (RT) data offers significant insights into decision-making, comparable to confidence ratings. Integrating RT into type-2 Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis enhances understanding of perceptual decision-making processes.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Decision Science
- Psychophysics
Background:
- Traditional type-2 Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis primarily uses confidence ratings to assess decision-making.
- The predictive value of response time (RT) data in these analyses has been underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the utility of response time (RT) data within type-2 ROC analysis.
- To determine if RT can serve as a proxy for confidence and offer complementary information.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 16 perceptual decision-making datasets.
- Comparison of information content and predictive power between RT and confidence data.
- Type-2 sensitivity (meta-d') calculation using both RT and confidence.
Main Results:
- RT data contains substantial information about response correctness, approximately two-thirds that of confidence.
- RT provides unique predictive power for correctness, independent of confidence.
- RT and confidence interact synergistically, enhancing predictive accuracy when RT is short.
- Type-2 sensitivity derived from RT and confidence showed high inter-subject correlation.
Conclusions:
- RT is a viable proxy for confidence in type-2 ROC analysis, expanding feasibility to diverse research settings.
- Combined use of RT and confidence provides richer insights into decision-making processes.
- RT-based type-2 analysis is a valuable tool for uncovering nuanced aspects of behavior.
Keywords:
confidencemetacognitionperceptual decision-makingreceiver operating characteristic (ROC)response timesignal detection theoryMore Related Videos
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