Type I error

American  

noun

1. the error made in the statistical testing of a hypothesis by rejecting the null hypothesis when it is actually true.

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type I error British  

noun

1. statistics the error of rejecting the null hypothesis when it is true, the probability of which is the significance level of a result

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Etymology

Origin of Type I error

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Type I error: Frank does not go rock climbing because he considers that the equipment is not safe, when in fact, the equipment is really safe.

From Textbooks • Mar. 27, 2020

Type I error: We conclude that fewer than 5 percent of adults ride the bus to work in Los Angeles, when the percentage that do is really 29%.

From Textbooks • Mar. 27, 2020

Consider the consequences of making a Type I error.

From Textbooks • Nov. 29, 2017

The Type I and Type II errors are as follows: The Type I error is to conclude that the proportion of borrowers is different from 50% when, in fact, the proportion is actually 50%.

From Textbooks • Nov. 29, 2017

A Type I error occurs when a true hypothesis is rejected, and a Type II error occurs when a false hypothesis is accepted.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos