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

Risk-averse FDA reviewers have traditionally focused on avoiding what the agency knows as a Type I error: Approving a drug that isn’t safe or effective.

From The Wall Street Journal

In statistics, a problem akin to apophenia is a Type I error, or false positive.

From Slate

In the 20th century it was believed that a Type I error was worse than a Type II error.

From Washington Post

The 4% fit to the cubic is either type I error or arises from a few large bones toward the end of the court, with smaller objects behind them.

From Science Magazine