title: User settings of cue thresholds for binary categorization decisions.
abstract: The output of binary cuing systems, such as alerts or alarms, depends on the threshold setting-a parameter that is often user-adjustable. However, it is unknown if users are able to adequately adjust thresholds and what information may help them to do so. Two experiments tested threshold settings for a binary classification task based on binary cues. During the task, participants decided whether a product was intact or faulty. Experimental conditions differed in the information participants received: all participants were informed about a product's fault probability and the payoffs associated with decision outcomes; one third also received information regarding conditional probabilities for a fault when the system indicated or did not indicate the existence of one (predictive values); and another third received information about conditional probabilities for the system indicating a fault, in the instance of the existence or lack thereof, of an actual fault (diagnostic values). Threshold settings in all experimental groups were nonoptimal, with settings closest to the optimum with predictive-values information. Results corresponded with a model describing threshold settings as a function of the conditional probabilities for the different outcomes. From a practical perspective, results indicate that predictive-values information best supports decisions about threshold settings. Consequently, for users to adjust thresholds, they should receive information about predictive-values, provided that such values can be computed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Assaf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Botzer
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bak
authors.forename: Yisrael
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Parmet
mesh_terms: D003463:Cues; D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D011582:Psychological Theory; D011589:Psychology, Experimental / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017603:Signal Detection, Psychological