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Evaluating Performance in Continuous Experiments with Feedback to Subjects

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2025

Francisco J. Samaniego  and
Jessica M. Utts
Francisco J. Samaniego*
Affiliation:
University of California, Davis
Jessica M. Utts
Affiliation:
University of California, Davis
*
Requests for reprints should be sent to: F. J. Samaniego, Division of Statistics, University of California, Davis, CA 95616.
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Abstract

Consider an experiment in which a subject guesses repeatedly at a randomly chosen target on a continuum. To guarantee a positive probability of success, the continuum is partitioned into a finite but large number of segments. The subject is given directional feedback. General guessing strategies are characterized, and an optimal strategy is identified. The hypothesis that the subject's performance can be explained by “chance alone” is of interest in such experiments. A test is developed based on comparing the subject's performance to expected performance using the optimal strategy. A “skill-scoring” procedure is developed for assessing a subject's performance in light of the strategy used, and a test based on skill-scoring is advanced.

Keywords

continuous experimentsfeedbackoptimal strategytest of significancestochastic orderingextra sensory perception
Type
Original Paper
Information
Psychometrika , Volume 48 , Issue 2 , June 1983 , pp. 195 - 209
Copyright
Copyright © 1983 The Psychometric Society

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Footnotes

Research by the first author is supported in part by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under grant AFOSR 77-3180.

The authors wish to thank the referees for remarks that led to improvements in both content and clarity.

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