The application of signal detection theory to decision-making in forensic science

Signal Detection Theory (SDT) has come to be used in a wide variety of fiel ds where noise and imperfect signals present challenges to the task of sepa rating hits and correct rejections from misses and false alarms. The applic ation of SDT helps illuminate and improve the quality of decision-making in those fields in a number of ways. The present article is designed to make SDT more accessible to forensic scientists by: (a) explaining what SDT is a nd how it works, (b) explicating the potential usefulness of SDT to forensi c science, (c) illustrating SDT analysis using forensic science data, and ( d) suggesting ways to gain the benefits of SDT analyses in the course of ca rrying out existing programs of quality assessment and other research on fo rensic science examinations.