Lesson 2

Types of Errors in
Hypothesis Testing
 Objectives

At the end of this lesson, the learner should be able to

● correctly determine when a type I error occurs; and

● correctly determine when a type II error occurs.

 Learn about It!

Type I Error
1 an error in hypothesis testing that occurs when a true null hypothesis is rejected

Example:

Let’s say a medical researcher has the following hypotheses

about the population mean number of patients in an
emergency room daily.
 Learn about It!

The mean number of patients in the emergency room daily is

74.

The mean number of patients in the emergency room daily is

not 74.

Suppose the null hypothesis is true. That is, the population

mean number of patients in the emergency room daily is
really 74. A type I error will occur if the medical researcher
concludes that the mean number of patients is not 74,
thus rejecting the true null hypothesis.
 Learn about It!

2 Type II Error
an error in hypothesis testing that occurs when a false null hypothesis is not
rejected

Example:

Let’s say a medical researcher has the following hypotheses

about the population mean number of patients in an
emergency room daily.
 Learn about It!

The mean number of patients in the emergency room daily is

74.

The mean number of patients in the emergency room daily is

not 74.

Suppose the null hypothesis is not true; that is, the mean
number of patients in the emergency room daily is not 74. A
type II error will occur if the medical researcher concludes
that the mean number of patients is 74, thus not rejecting the
false null hypothesis.
Learn about It!
 Learn about It!

The four possible outcomes in decision-making based on the table are:

 Learn about It!
An example on how to state these types of errors in a sentence is
given below.

Given: The mean number of years a teacher work before

retiring is 30.
Type I error: We conclude that the mean number of years a
teacher work before retiring is not 30 years, when it really is 30
years.

Type II error: We conclude that the mean number of years a

teacher work before retiring is 30 years, when in fact it really is not
30 years.
Key Points

Type I Error
1 an error in hypothesis testing that occurs when a true null hypothesis is rejected

2 Type II Error
an error in hypothesis testing that occurs when a false null hypothesis is not
rejected