Application of the Theory of Signal Detectability to Kinesthetic Discrimination Tasks

The psychophysical methods of the theory of signal detectability were applied to the measurement of kinesthetic recognition sensitivity. Subjects (n = 12) were tested on a kinesthetic discrimination apparatus, and were randomly assigned to one of four treatment conditions. Each subject operated under five response criteria which were imposed through a priori probabilities of high and low kinesthetic stimuli. The fundamental assumptions of the theory of signal detectability were tested and the basic premises of normality and equality of variance observed in most cases. A subproblem investigated the relationship between kinesthetic recognition sensitivity and the two independent variables of direction and extent of forearm movement, but no relationship was observed. This study was conducted at Kansas State University under the direction of Richard H. Cox with technical assistance from Harold L. Hawkins. The study was funded by a Faculty Research Grant awarded by Kansas State University.