Short Answer

A psychology research team is testing whether a new mindfulness app successfully reduces exam anxiety. If the team commits a Type II error, what does this mean in the context of their study, and how does this mistake align with the medical diagnosis analogy?

Question: A psychology research team is testing whether a new mindfulness app successfully reduces exam anxiety. If the team commits a Type II error, what does this mean in the context of their study, and how does this mistake align with the medical diagnosis analogy?

Sample answer: Committing a Type II error means the researchers fail to detect the actual anxiety-reducing effect of the mindfulness app, leading them to conclude it does not work when it genuinely does. This aligns with the medical analogy of a doctor telling a visibly pregnant female that she is not pregnant, because the researchers fail to detect a condition (the app's effect) that is genuinely present.

Key points:

  • A Type II error in this context is failing to detect that the mindfulness app reduces anxiety.
  • The error represents a false negative, concluding there is no effect when one exists.
  • This aligns with the pregnancy analogy of failing to detect a condition that is genuinely present.

Rubric: The answer should apply the concept of a Type II error to the study by stating that the researchers fail to detect a real anxiety-reducing effect (false negative). It must also relate this error to the medical analogy of telling a visibly pregnant woman she is not pregnant by highlighting the failure to detect a genuinely present condition.

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Updated 2026-05-27

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

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