Which term describes the ability to correctly identify those without the disease?

Which term describes the ability to correctly identify those without the disease?

• A. Sensitivity
• B. Specificity
• C. Validity
• D. Reliability

Answer: (B)

This item tests how well a test can correctly identify people who do not have the disease. This is called specificity. It measures the proportion of true negatives among all individuals who are disease-free, so a test with high specificity produces few false positives. For example, if 100 people do not have the disease and the test correctly shows negative results for 95 of them, the specificity is 95%. By contrast, sensitivity is about correctly identifying those who do have the disease (true positives). Validity refers to whether the test measures what it is intended to measure, while reliability concerns the consistency of test results across repeated trials. Therefore, the term describing the ability to correctly identify those without the disease is specificity.

This item tests how well a test can correctly identify people who do not have the disease. This is called specificity. It measures the proportion of true negatives among all individuals who are disease-free, so a test with high specificity produces few false positives. For example, if 100 people do not have the disease and the test correctly shows negative results for 95 of them, the specificity is 95%. By contrast, sensitivity is about correctly identifying those who do have the disease (true positives). Validity refers to whether the test measures what it is intended to measure, while reliability concerns the consistency of test results across repeated trials. Therefore, the term describing the ability to correctly identify those without the disease is specificity.