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Sensitivity vs Specificity - What's the difference?

sensitivity | specificity |

Specificity is a coordinate term of sensitivity.



In statistics terms the difference between sensitivity and specificity

is that sensitivity is the proportion of individuals in a population that will be correctly identified in a binary classification test while specificity is the probability, in a binary test, of a true negative being correctly identified.

As nouns the difference between sensitivity and specificity

is that sensitivity is the quality of being sensitive while specificity is the state of being specific rather than general.

sensitivity

English

Noun

(wikipedia sensitivity) (sensitivities)
  • The quality of being sensitive.
  • The ability of an organism or organ to respond to external stimuli.
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author= Fenella Saunders, magazine=(American Scientist)
  • , title= Tiny Lenses See the Big Picture , passage=The single-imaging optic of the mammalian eye offers some distinct visual advantages. Such lenses can take in photons from a wide range of angles, increasing light sensitivity . They also have high spatial resolution, resolving incoming images in minute detail.}}
  • (statistics) The proportion of individuals in a population that will be correctly identified in a binary classification test.
  • (electronics) The degree of response of an instrument to a change in an input signal.
  • (photography) The degree of response of a film etc. to light of a specified wavelength.
  • specificity

    English

    Noun

    (specificities)
  • The state of being specific rather than general.
  • (statistics) The probability, in a binary test, of a true negative being correctly identified.
  • (medicine) The extent to which a particular diagnostic test is specific for a given condition.
  • Synonyms

    * specificness (much less common)

    Antonyms

    * genericity

    Coordinate terms

    * (sense) sensitivity