Increase signal salience by raising perceptual contrast

Why This Is a Principle

This is a principle derived from signal detection theory (Signal detection involves independent dimensions of, Every detection system faces a fundamental tradeoff between) and the attention capacity constraint (Attention as Gate to Conscious Perception). It prescribes a specific solution to missed triggers: instead of trying harder to notice (lowering threshold), make the signal stronger (increase contrast). This is actionable across contexts and follows from the axioms about attention being capacity-limited and every detection system facing a sensitivity-specificity tradeoff.