Type 1 Error occurs when an experiment or analysis incorrectly concludes that the independent variable has had an effect on the dependent variable when, in reality, no such effect exists. This is also known as a “false positive.”
Example
A researcher concludes that a new teaching method improves student performance based on the results of an experiment. However, in reality, the improvement in performance was due to an unrelated factor, such as increased student motivation, not the teaching method. The researcher has made a Type 1 Error by attributing the change to the independent variable when it wasn’t responsible for the effect.