Question

Donated blood is tested for infectious diseases and other contaminants. Since most donated blood is safe, workers save time and money by testing batches of donated blood rather than testing individual samples. Workers perform a test to check if a certain toxin is present, and the entire batch is discarded if the toxin is detected. This is similar to using a null and an alternative hypothesis to determine whether to discard the batch. The hypotheses being tested could be stated as: H_0:H 0 ​ :H, start subscript, 0, end subscript, colon The batch does not contain the toxin. H_\text{a}:H a ​ :H, start subscript, start text, a, end text, end subscript, colon The batch contains the toxin. Under which of the following conditions would the testers commit a Type II error?

Answer 1

Answer:

Obtaining a false negative, that the toxin is not present

Explanation:

Type I error rejects a true null hypothesis wile type II error is not rejecting a false null. These are known as 'false positive' and 'false negative' respectively.

In the case of screening blood it is better to accept a flase positive for the safety of the clients that will receive this as life threatening reactions may occur. Accepting a false negative is more deleterious since a toxin may be present and this is not a suitable specimen for patients.

A type two error is more likely when testing for the toxin and recieving a negative result. For this reason, when screening blood multiple confirmations should be made.