HYPOTHESIS

A scientific hypothesis is a speculative, testable explanation for a natural occurrence. It's the very first step in the scientific approach. Many people refer to it as a "informed estimate" based on previous experience and observation.

A hypothesis is based on the concept that no outcome is predetermined. A solution must be a concept that can be validated or disproved through well designed experimentation or observation in order to be called a scientific hypothesis. In his famous work “The Logic of Scientific Discovery,” Austrian-British philosopher Karl Popper pioneered the concept of falsifiability and testability in the mid-twentieth century (Routledge, 1959).

A hypothesis’ main purpose is to make predictions about future experiment findings and then test those predictions.

A hypothesis is frequently written as an if-then statement, which states a possibility (if) and then discusses what might happen if that possibility exists (then). According to California State University, Bakersfield, the statement might alternatively include “may.”

THEORY

An assumption based on evidence is called a hypothesis. This is the first step in every investigation, where the research questions are translated into predictions. Variables, population, and the relationship between variables are all part of it. A research hypothesis is a hypothesis that is tested to see if two or more variables are related.

Hypotheses’ Characteristics

Hypothesis has the following characteristics:

To be considered trustworthy, the theory must be explicit and specific.

The relationship between variables should be stated if the hypothesis is a relational hypothesis.

The hypothesis should be specific and allow for additional testing to be conducted.

The hypothesis must be explained in a straightforward manner, and it is important to note that the hypothesis’s simplicity is unrelated to its importance.

Hypothesis Types

There are six types of hypotheses:

  1. a simple theory
  2. a complicated hypothesis
  3. direction Of hypothesis
  4. Hypothesis with no clear direction
  5. Possibility of a null hypothesis
  6. Theoretical associative and haphazard hypotheses

Researchers usually communicate their ideas in one of two ways during an experiment. The null hypothesis states that there will be no correlation or difference between the experimental groups. The alternative hypothesis predicts that the experimental groups will differ. According to the University of Miami, this is usually the hypothesis that scientists are most curious about.

“There will be no difference in the rate of muscle growth between persons who take a protein supplement and people who don’t,” for example, a null hypothesis might declare. “There will be a difference in the pace of muscle gain between persons who take a protein and others who don’t,” the alternative hypothesis would argue.

According to the book “Research Methods in Psychology” ( BCcampus, 2015), if the findings of the experiment reveal a relationship between the variables, the null hypothesis is rejected in favour of the alternate hypothesis.

Alternative hypotheses can be described in a variety of ways. The alternative hypothesis does not state whether the effect will be positive or negative, simply that there will be a difference between the two groups. A two-tailed hypothesis is a form of prediction like this. According to William M. K. Trochim, a professor of Policy Analysis and Management at Cornell University, a one-tailed hypothesis specifies a certain direction — for example, that persons who take a protein supplement will grow more muscle than people who don’t.

During the course of an experiment, mistakes can occur. While the null hypothesis is rejected when it is true, this is known as a type I error. A false positive is another term for this. When the null hypothesis is true but not rejected, this is known as a type II error. According to the University of California, Berkeley, this is also known as a false negative.

A theory can be rejected or changed, but it can never be proven 100 percent correct. A scientist can, for example, make a hypothesis that states that if a tomato has a gene for red pigment, that tomato will be red.

Example of Hypotheses 

The following are some sorts of hypotheses:

An example of a basic hypothesis is that daily consumption of sugary drinks leads to obesity.

A null hypothesis is, for example, that all lilies have the same number of petals.

If a person sleeps for seven hours, he will be less tired than if he sleeps for less.

Hypotheses Have a Function

The hypothesis carries out the following functions:

An observation and experiments are made feasible by hypotheses.

It is used as the investigation’s starting point.

The hypotheses aid in the verification of the data.

It aids in the proper routing of questions.

 

What role does hypothesis have in scientific method?

Researchers hypothesis to write down their ideas about how the experiment should be conducted. The steps of the scientific process are as follows:

Forming a question

Performing preliminary research

Making of a hypothesis

Experiment design

Data collection and analysis

Concluding the experiment

Communication of the findings

CONCLUSION

A hypothesis is based on the concept that no outcome is predetermined. A solution must be a concept that can be validated or disproved through well designed experimentation or observation in order to be called a scientific hypothesis. A hypothesis’ main purpose is to make predictions about future experiment findings and then test those predictions. . Variables, population, and the relationship between variables are all part of it. A research hypothesis is a hypothesis that is tested to see if two or more variables are related.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to the most common queries related to the CLASS 12 Examination Preparation.

What is a hypothesis's purpose?

Answer:- The goal of a hypothesis is to identify a solution to a problem. A formulated hypothesis will force ...Read full

What is a good example of a hypothesis?

Answer:- An example of a hypothesis is as follows: Corn plants will grow more each day if the length of ligh...Read full

What distinguishes a good hypothesis from a bad one?

Answer:- A good hypothesis, in general, is testable, which means that it must be possible to demonstrate whet...Read full

What a hypothesis, right?

Answer:- An “informed guess” can be defined as a hypothesis. A scientific hypothesis must meet tw...Read full

Why is there no need for a hypothesis in a qualitative study?

Answer:- Because a research question (in the context of qualitative research) is almost always a hypothesis p...Read full