What is a false negative response in hearing tests?

A false negative response occurs when a patient is able to hear a sound during a hearing test but does not indicate that they have heard it by responding. This can happen for several reasons, such as misunderstanding the instructions, being unsure whether they heard the sound, or possibly due to lack of motivation to respond. It is important to distinguish between true thresholds of hearing and the patient's willingness or ability to communicate those thresholds during testing.

In contrast, other responses present different scenarios. For instance, responding when there is no sound is indicative of a false positive response, where the patient mistakes silence for sound. Not hearing the test tone at all represents an accurate response to a lack of perception of sound, rather than a false negative. Misinterpretation of the test could lead to incorrect results, but it does not fit the definition of a false negative, which is specific to the scenario of unacknowledged auditory perception.