Praxis SLP Licensure Exam

A speech scientist incorrectly claims progress in treatment when there was none. This is an example of which type of error?

1. A type II error

2. An order effect

3. A type I error

4. A treatment effect

The correct answer is: A type I error

The scenario described involves a speech scientist claiming that treatment has led to progress when, in fact, no such progress has occurred. This situation is indicative of a type I error, which is commonly referred to as a "false positive." In this context, the speech scientist incorrectly concludes that the treatment was effective when it was not, leading to an erroneous assertion about progress. Type I errors happen in statistical testing when the null hypothesis is rejected, implying that there is an effect or difference when there actually isn't one. In the field of speech-language pathology, this can have significant implications, as it may lead to continued treatment strategies that are ineffective, resulting in wasted resources and time for clients. The other options do not fit this scenario: type II error refers to failing to detect an effect when there actually is one; order effect concerns the potential influence of the sequence in which treatments or tests are administered — this is more relevant in experimental designs; and treatment effect broadly refers to the impact of a specific intervention, but does not pertain to the error made in this case of incorrectly identifying progress.