  As planning for the next generation of high contrast imaging instruments
(e.g. WFIRST, HabEx, and LUVOIR, TMT-PFI, EELT-EPICS) matures, and
second-generation ground-based extreme adaptive optics facilities (e.g.
VLT-SPHERE, Gemini-GPI) are halfway through their principal surveys, it is
imperative that the performance of different designs, post-processing
algorithms, observing strategies, and survey results be compared in a
consistent, statistically robust framework. In this paper, we argue that the
current industry standard for such comparisons -- the contrast curve -- falls
short of this mandate. We propose a new figure of merit, the "performance map,"
that incorporates three fundamental concepts in signal detection theory: the
true positive fraction (TPF), false positive fraction (FPF), and detection
threshold. By supplying a theoretical basis and recipe for generating the
performance map, we hope to encourage the widespread adoption of this new
metric across subfields in exoplanet imaging.
