false positives
Wrongly flagged results
False positives are test results or detections that incorrectly indicate something is present when it isn't.
A medical test showing disease in a healthy patient, a spam filter flagging legitimate email, a smoke detector triggered by burnt toast—all false positives.
The term comes from statistics but appears wherever detection systems make errors: The screening produced several false positives that required follow-up testing.
The opposite error, missing something that is present, is a false negative.
Rejecting a true null
- specificityExactness of detail
- sensitivityResponsiveness to stimuli
- precisionAccuracy of measurement
- recallMemory retrieval act
significance · p-value · confidence interval · error rate · sample size · null hypothesis · threshold · cutoff
Evaluative selection process
- mammogramBreast tissue X-ray
- biopsyTissue sample for diagnosis
- ultrasoundInaudible high-frequency waves
- MRIMagnetic body imaging
CT scan · blood test · pathology · radiology · benign · tumor · oncology · misdiagnosis
Antibody binding to similar antigens
- contaminationIntroduction of impurities
- control groupUntreated subjects for comparison
- calibrationAdjusting for measurement accuracy
- quality controlMaintaining production standards
reagent · antibody · reproducibility · interference · artifact · retest · confirmation test · gold standard
Desensitization from excessive warnings
- intrusion detectionSpotting unauthorized access attempts
- spam filterSoftware blocking unwanted email
- antivirusMalware detection program
- malwareHarmful computer programs
phishing · firewall · biometric · facial recognition · flagged · whitelist · blacklist · threat detection
Deliberate deception for effect
- mythTraditional explanatory tale
- misconceptionErroneous belief or understanding
- misinformationFalse data spread unintentionally
- debunkedExposed as fraudulent
fact-check · rumor · urban legend · clickbait · disinformation · propaganda · viral · correction
type I error
Rejecting a true null
- specificityExactness of detail
- sensitivityResponsiveness to stimuli
- precisionAccuracy of measurement
recall · significance · p-value · confidence interval · error rate · sample size · null hypothesis · threshold · cutoff · signal-to-noise ratio
screening
Evaluative selection process
- mammogramBreast tissue X-ray
- biopsyTissue sample for diagnosis
- ultrasoundInaudible high-frequency waves
MRI · CT scan · blood test · pathology · radiology · benign · tumor · oncology · misdiagnosis · overdiagnosis
cross-reactivity
Antibody binding to similar antigens
- contaminationIntroduction of impurities
- control groupUntreated subjects for comparison
- calibrationAdjusting for measurement accuracy
quality control · reagent · antibody · reproducibility · interference · artifact · retest · confirmation test · gold standard
alert fatigue
Desensitization from excessive warnings
- intrusion detectionSpotting unauthorized access attempts
- spam filterSoftware blocking unwanted email
- antivirusMalware detection program
malware · phishing · firewall · biometric · facial recognition · flagged · whitelist · blacklist · threat detection · surveillance
hoax
Deliberate deception for effect
- mythTraditional explanatory tale
- misconceptionErroneous belief or understanding
- misinformationFalse data spread unintentionally
debunked · fact-check · rumor · urban legend · clickbait · disinformation · propaganda · viral · correction · retraction
- perimetryperimetry, peripheral vision, blind spot test
- fraud detectionscam, phishing, identity theft, credit card fraud, insurance fraud
- lie detectionpolygraph, lie detector, polygraph test, polygraph tests, truth serum
- drug testingdrug testing, drug test, drug screen, drug screens, drug screening
- network securityintrusion detection, IPS, IDS, access control, perimeter security
- security metricsdwell time, mean time, recovery time, response time
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