Question

An increase in sensitivity is associated with _______ in selectivity.

(a) no specific change

(b) increase

(c) decrease

(d) exponential increase

I got this question in an interview.

This question is from Heuristic Database Searching topic in section Database Similarity Searching of Bioinformatics

Answer 1

Correct choice is (c) decrease

To explain I would say: Ideally, one wants to have the greatest sensitivity, selectivity, and speed in database searches. However, satisfying all three requirements is difficult in reality. What generally happens is that an increase in sensitivity is associated with decrease in selectivity. A very inclusive search tends to include many false positives. Similarly, an improvement in speed often comes at the cost of lowered sensitivity and selectivity. A compromise between the three criteria often has to be made.