Evaluting Practical Limitations of Signal Detection Theory in Clinical Behavioral Research
Abstract
Deficits in inhibitory control - the ability to suppress automatic, impulsive responses - has been widely considered as a potential biomarker for mental health disorders. Signal Detection Theory (SDT) has provided a systematic measurement method for inhibitory control in clinical behavioral assessment. To evaluate the feasibility of inhibitory control as a biomarker, researchers have used meta-analysis to examine its effect size (Hedge's g) in differentiating between individuals with mental health disorders and healthy controls. Values of g>0.8 indicate that inhibitory control may serve as a clinically useful biomarker for distinguishing patients from healthy individuals, whereas g<0.8 suggests limited clinical utility. However, our study found that a limitation of SDT - its lack of reliability when participants show perfect performance - would lead to distorted and misleading results when evaluating the efficacy of inhibitory control as a biomarker. In our computational simulation, we found that when applying SDT to a clinically useful biomarker (for example, true effect size g = 0.95), SDT's practical limitation could lower the estimated effect size (for example, estimated effect size g = 0.77) and mistook useful biomarkers as low-utility. Based on the results, SDT shows a substantial problem in clinical behavioral measurement, and we propose to identify practical solutions for this problem in future research.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Yiyang Chen, Dr. Jonathan Banks
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
1-4-2026 12:00 AM
End Date
2-4-2026 12:00 AM
Evaluting Practical Limitations of Signal Detection Theory in Clinical Behavioral Research
Alvin Sherman Library
Deficits in inhibitory control - the ability to suppress automatic, impulsive responses - has been widely considered as a potential biomarker for mental health disorders. Signal Detection Theory (SDT) has provided a systematic measurement method for inhibitory control in clinical behavioral assessment. To evaluate the feasibility of inhibitory control as a biomarker, researchers have used meta-analysis to examine its effect size (Hedge's g) in differentiating between individuals with mental health disorders and healthy controls. Values of g>0.8 indicate that inhibitory control may serve as a clinically useful biomarker for distinguishing patients from healthy individuals, whereas g<0.8 suggests limited clinical utility. However, our study found that a limitation of SDT - its lack of reliability when participants show perfect performance - would lead to distorted and misleading results when evaluating the efficacy of inhibitory control as a biomarker. In our computational simulation, we found that when applying SDT to a clinically useful biomarker (for example, true effect size g = 0.95), SDT's practical limitation could lower the estimated effect size (for example, estimated effect size g = 0.77) and mistook useful biomarkers as low-utility. Based on the results, SDT shows a substantial problem in clinical behavioral measurement, and we propose to identify practical solutions for this problem in future research.
