Biostatistics & Research · single question
In a 2×2 contingency table, a 'false positive' means:
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Correct answer: D. The test is positive but the disease is absent
A false positive occurs when the diagnostic test result is positive but the patient does NOT have the disease. In a 2×2 table, this corresponds to cell 'b' (test+ / disease–). False positives are related to specificity (1 − specificity = false positive rate). A highly specific test has few false positives.
- A. ❌ Test positive + disease present = TRUE POSITIVE (correct identification of disease).
- B. ❌ Test negative + disease absent = TRUE NEGATIVE (correct identification of no disease).
- C. ❌ Test negative + disease present = FALSE NEGATIVE (missed diagnosis).
- D. ✅ CORRECT – False positive: test says positive but patient does NOT have the disease.
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