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Q&A Why's the true positive rate termed Sensitivity and true negative rate Specificity, not vice versa? [closed]

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by DNB‭  ·  closed 3y ago by Peter Taylor‭

Question probability
#3: Question closed by user avatar Peter Taylor‭ · 2021-09-02T22:39:52Z (over 3 years ago)
#2: Post edited by user avatar DNB‭ · 2021-08-09T23:48:07Z (over 3 years ago)
  • 1. To wit, what's "Sensitive" about True Positive Rates, and "Specific" about True Negative Rates?
  • 2. Why weren't these [Metaphors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_change#Typology_by_Blank_(1999)) or [Imports](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loanword) reversed? Why wasn't "Sensitive" termed to signify True Negative Rates, and "Specific" True Positive Rates instead?
  • I learn best visually. Can these graphs on [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensitivity_and_specificity) and [Technology Networks](https://www.technologynetworks.com/analysis/articles/sensitivity-vs-specificity-318222) answer my qusetions?
  • ![](https://i.imgur.com/ZXnrSmk.jpg)
  • ![](https://i.imgur.com/jpNsd23.jpg)
  • ![](https://i.imgur.com/Z7efZw5.png)
  • 1. To wit, what's "Sensitive" about True Positive Rates, and "Specific" about True Negative Rates?
  • 2. Why weren't these [Metaphors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_change#Typology_by_Blank_(1999)) or [Imports](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loanword) reversed? Why wasn't "Sensitive" termed to signify True Negative Rates, and "Specific" True Positive Rates instead?
  • I learn best visually. Can these graphs on [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensitivity_and_specificity) answer my questions?
  • ![](https://i.imgur.com/ZXnrSmk.jpg)
  • ![](https://i.imgur.com/jpNsd23.jpg)
#1: Initial revision by user avatar DNB‭ · 2021-08-05T02:11:34Z (over 3 years ago) 
Why's the true positive rate termed Sensitivity and true negative rate Specificity, not vice versa? 
1. To wit, what's "Sensitive" about True Positive Rates, and "Specific" about True Negative Rates?


2. Why weren't these [Metaphors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_change#Typology_by_Blank_(1999)) or [Imports](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loanword) reversed? Why wasn't "Sensitive" termed to signify True Negative Rates, and "Specific"  True Positive Rates instead?

I learn best visually. Can these graphs on [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensitivity_and_specificity) and [Technology Networks](https://www.technologynetworks.com/analysis/articles/sensitivity-vs-specificity-318222) answer my qusetions?

![](https://i.imgur.com/ZXnrSmk.jpg)

![](https://i.imgur.com/jpNsd23.jpg)

![](https://i.imgur.com/Z7efZw5.png)
probability