In an endeavor to explore the impact of a novel cognitive-behavioral intervention on alleviating symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, Dr. Arabella, a clinical psychologist, conducted a series of controlled trials. She later inferred that the intervention was ineffective, despite the reality that it was significantly efficacious. Meanwhile, in a separate study, Dr. Barnabas claimed that a specific type of diet regimen lowered blood pressure in individuals with hypertension. Nevertheless, his assertion was erroneous as the diet regimen had no impact. In the context of hypothesis testing, how would you categorize the mistakes made by Dr. Arabella and Dr. Barnabas?
Dr. Arabella made a Type I error, and Dr. Barnabas made a Type II error.
B. Dr. Arabella made a Type II error, and Dr. Barnabas made a Type I error.
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Best Answer: B. Dr. Arabella made a Type II error, as she failed to reject the null hypothesis when it was false (she incorrectly concluded that the intervention was ineffective), and Dr. Barnabas made a Type I error as he rejected the null hypothesis when it was true (he incorrectly claimed that the diet regimen was effective). A, a Type I error for Dr. Arabella and a Type II error for Dr. Barnabas, are incorrect because they reflect the opposite errors of what was actually made. C and D are incorrect as they suggest that both doctors made the same type of error, which is not the case given the differing natures of their errors.