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Organisms face the cognitive challenge of making decisions based on imperfect information. Predators and prey, in particular, are confronted with ambiguous stimuli when foraging and avoiding attacks. These challenges are accentuated by variation imposed by environmental physiological, and cognitive factors. While the cognitive factors influencing perceived ambiguity are often assumed to be fixed, contemporary findings reveal that perceived ambiguity is instead the dynamic outcome of interactive cognitive processes. Here, we present a frame work that integrates recent advances in neurophysiology and sensory ecology with a classic decision-making model, signal detection theory (SDT), to understand the cognitive mechanism! that shape perceived stimulus ambiguity in predators and prey. Since stimulus ambiguity is pervasive, the framework discussed here provides insights that extend into nonforaging contexts.