title: The effect of experience on detectability in local area anatomical noise.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate if the ability to detect clinically relevant signals, within local area clinically relevant texture, is related to experience. A two alternative forced choice interleaved staircase experiment was conducted on 101 observers split into three groups; group 1 with diagnostic experience, group 2 with experience of imaging but not of making a diagnosis and group 3 with no experience of imaging. Thresholds of detection within synthesized, clinically representative textures were measured for a 15 mm simulated lesion within an MR T1 weighted brain texture and a 2.5 mm diameter simulated lesion embedded within X-ray trabecular bone texture. The results showed that there was a significant difference in threshold detectability between the groups for the brain texture at the 95% significance level but not for the bone texture. The experienced group did not demonstrate a correlation between their bone and brain results. However, the inexperienced group had a significant correlation between the bone and brain results. There was a significant correlation between increasing experience and detectability but this was dependent on the composition of the local area anatomical noise.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics and Engineering, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds LS1 3EX. dsb@medphysics.leeds.ac.uk
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Brettle
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000592:standards; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011601:Psychophysics; D011871:Radiology / Q000592:standards*; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000592:standards