Hypotheses

• How are hypotheses written?

  • In two forms: the null hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis
  • We can only accept one and must reject the other
• What does the hypothesis usually involve?

  hypothesis usually involves proposing a possible relationship between two variables: the independent variable and the dependent variable
• What is a directional hypothesis?


  • a one-tailed directional hypothesis that predicts the nature of the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable
  • Used when there is previous research suggesting that findings will go in a particular direction
• What is a hypothesis?

  A hypothesis is a precise, testable statement of what the researchers predict will be the outcome of the study
• How does the aim differ from the hypothesis

  • Aim is the researcher’s area of interest – what they are looking at
  • Differs from a hypothesis as it is a statement of what you believe to be true rather than a prediction
• What is non-directional hypothesis?

  • a two-tailed non-directional hypothesis predicts that the independent variable will have an effect on the dependent variable, but the direction of the effect is not specified
  • Used when there is no previous research suggesting that findings will go in a particular direction
• What is the alternative hypothesis?

  • It states that there is a relationship between the two variables being studied (one variable has an effect on the other)
  • The results are not due to chance and that they are significant in terms of supporting the theory being investigated
• What is the null hypothesis?

  • It states that there is no relationship between the two variables being studied (one variable does not affect the other)
  • Results are due to chance and are not significant in terms of supporting the idea being investigated
• Why can an alternative hypothesis never been 100% right?

  • can be rejected or supported, but it can never be proven to be correct.
  • We must avoid any reference to results proving a theory as this implies 100% certainty, and there is always a chance that evidence may exist which could refute a theory