Reply To Pek Et Al.: Science Is Not The Signal Detection Problem It Is Ordinarily Thought To Be

In our target article (1), we note that signal detection theory evolved (2) from Fisher’s (3) null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) approach ( H : δ = 0, H 1: δ ≠ 0) as elaborated by Neyman and Pearson (4), who additionally proposed considering the specific magnitude of the alternative hypothesis ( H : δ = 0, H 1: δ = μ). We then argue that this perspective is a useful fiction, not an accurate depiction of underlying reality. The true, underlying effect size (δ) associated with an experimental protocol is more reasonably conceptualized as having been drawn from a continuous distribution, and it is never equal to zero.\n\nPek et al. (5) argue that the Fisherian perspective can be revised by dropping the null hypothesis fiction … \n\n[↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: b6wilson{at}ucsd.edu or jwixted{at}ucsd.edu.\n\n [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1