false positive
Mistaken test result
A false positive is a test result that incorrectly indicates the presence of something—a disease, a security threat, a software bug—when it's actually absent.
The term comes from medical and scientific testing: The pregnancy test gave a false positive.
In computing, spam filters generate false positives when legitimate emails land in junk folders.
The opposite is a false negative, where a test fails to detect something that is present.
Rejecting a true null
- misdiagnosisIncorrect identification of ailment
- overdiagnosisFinding harmless conditions unnecessarily
- retestExamine again for verification
- inconclusiveNot yielding a decision
Wrongly recognizing something
- type I errorRejecting a true null
- misfireFailure to discharge
- noiseUnwanted auditory disturbance
- artifactHuman-made historical object
glitch · anomaly · fluke · misclassification
Disproportionate emotional response
- panicUncontrollable sudden fear
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- alarm fatigueNumbness from excessive warnings
- desensitizationReduced response over time
type I error
Rejecting a true null
- misdiagnosisIncorrect identification of ailment
- overdiagnosisFinding harmless conditions unnecessarily
- retestExamine again for verification
misidentification
Wrongly recognizing something
- type I errorRejecting a true null
- misfireFailure to discharge
- noiseUnwanted auditory disturbance
artifact · glitch · anomaly · fluke · misclassification
overreaction
Disproportionate emotional response
- panicUncontrollable sudden fear
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- alarm fatigueNumbness from excessive warnings
- misdiagnoses
- diagnostic errorsmisdiagnosis, missed diagnosis, delayed diagnosis, overdiagnosis, underdiagnosis
- drug testingdrug testing, drug test, drug screen, drug screens, drug screening
- ML errorsoverfitting, underfitting, misclassification, type I error, type II error
- Overdiagnosisovertesting, overtreatment, overscreening, overprescription, overprescribing
- perimetryperimetry, peripheral vision, blind spot test
false, positive, falsehood, falsify, falsity, falseness, falsetto, falsified, falsification