As with a jury trial, another analogy to hypothesis testing involves medical diagnostic tests. These tests aim to indicate whether or not the patient has a particular disease. But the tests are not infallible, so errors can be made. The null hypothesis can be regarded as the patient being healthy. The alternative hypothesis can be regarded as the patient having the disease.
a. Describe what Type I error represents in this situation. Also indicate a potential consequence of Type I error.
b. Describe what Type II error represents in this situation. Also indicate a potential consequence of Type II error.
c. Which type of error would you consider to be more serious in this situation? Explain your thinking.