RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

- is the statement created by researchers when they speculate upon the outcome of a research or experiment.
- is a paring down of the problem into something testable and falsifiable.
*A research hypothesis is a specific, clear, and testable proposition or predictive statement about the possible outcome of a scientific
research study based on a particular property of a population

Your hypothesis should be:

1. Written in clear, concise language
- Keep your language clean and simple. State your hypothesis as concisely, and to the point, as possible. A hypothesis is usually
written in a form where it proposes that, if something is done, then something else will occur. Usually, you don't want to state a
hypothesis as a question. You believe in something, and you're seeking to prove it.
2. Falsifiable – is it possible to prove or disprove the statement?
Any hypothesis will need proof. Your audience will have to see evidence and reason to believe your statement
3. Practicable – can you measure the variables in question?
Keep yourself laser-focused on one specific cause-and-effect theory.

Independent variable - cause, can be changed

Dependent variable – effect, what you're watching for change

Ex. How does the amount of makeup one applies affect how clear their skin is? Here, the independent variable is the makeup and the
dependent variable is the skin.

EXAMPLES OF HYPOTHESIS
1. "Students who eat breakfast will perform better on a math exam than students who do not eat breakfast."
2. "Students who experience test anxiety prior to an English exam will get higher scores than students who do not experience test
anxiety."
3. "Motorists who talk on the phone while driving will be more likely to make errors on a driving course than those who do not talk on
the phone."

TYPES OF HYPOTHESIS
1. Simple Hypothesis - is a prediction of the relationship between two variables: the independent variable and the dependent variable.
Drinking sugary drinks daily leads to obesity.
2. Complex hypothesis examines the relationship between two or more independent variables and two or more dependent variables.
Overweight adults who 1) value longevity and 2) seek happiness are more likely than other adults to 1) lose their excess weight and 2)
feel a more regular sense of joy
3. Logical hypothesis is a proposed explanation possessing limited evidence.
Cacti experience more successful growth rates than tulips on Mars. (Until we're able to test plant growth in Mars' ground for an
extended period of time, the evidence for this claim will be limited and the hypothesis will only remain logical.)
4. Empirical hypothesis, or working hypothesis, comes to life when a theory is being put to the test, using observation and
experiment. It's no longer just an idea or notion. It's actually going through some trial and error, and perhaps changing around those
independent variables.
Roses watered with liquid Vitamin B grow faster than roses watered with liquid Vitamin E. (Here, trial and error is leading to a series of
findings.)
5. Statistical hypothesis is an examination of a portion of a population.
If you wanted to conduct a study on the life expectancy of Savannians, you would want to examine every single resident of Savannah.
This is not practical. Therefore, you would conduct your research using a statistical hypothesis, or a sample of the Savannian
population.
6. Null hypothesis (H0) exists when a researcher believes there is no relationship between the two variables, or there is a lack of
information to state a scientific hypothesis. This is something to attempt to disprove or discredit.
There is no significant change in my health during the times when I drink green tea only or root beer only
7. Alternative hypothesis (H1) enters the scene if the hypothesis is null. In an attempt to disprove a null hypothesis, researchers will
seek to discover an alternative hypothesis.
My health improves during the times when I drink green tea only, as opposed to root beer only.

How to Form a Hypothesis

1. Start by collecting as many observations about something as you can.
2. Evaluate these observations and look for possible causes of the problem.
3. Create a list of possible explanations that you might want to explore.
4. After you have developed some possible hypotheses, it is important to think of ways that you could confirm or disprove each
hypothesis through experimentation. This is known as falsifiability.