HYPOTHESIS

1. Introduction:

In Research, Hypothesis is an important instrument. Hypothesis is an assumption or statement

of prediction based on an evidence. It is made to test the consequences of the specific
hypothesis. A hypothesis can be an assumption or a guess, which is to be proved, based on
evidence. It can be a tentative answer to a research problem. To test a hypothesis, many
experiments are performed, as hypothesis suggests new experiments and new observations.
Decisions can be taken on the basis of testing hypothesis that are made based on available
information.

2. Definition of Hypothesis:

Hypothesis has been defined as “a proposition which can be put to test to determine its validity”
by Goode and Hatt. According to Lundberg, “A hypothesis is a tentative generalisation, the
validity of which remains to be tested. In its most elementary stage, the hypothesis may be any
hunch, guess, imaginative idea, which becomes the basis for action or investigation”.

A research hypothesis is a statement that connects an independent variable to a dependent

variable and may be investigated using scientific methods. The assumptions/hunches are
referred to as hypotheses by researchers, and they serve as the foundation for an investigation.
The hypothesis in most investigations will be based on observations. A hypothesis gives a
research problem definition, specificity, and focus, although it is not required for a study.
Without creating formal hypotheses, you can conduct a justifiable inquiry.

As a result, we can conclude that a hypothesis defines our search criteria and is a claim that
can be tested for validity. A research hypothesis is a definite, concise, and testable proposition
or prediction regarding the likely outcome of a scientific research study based on a specific
attribute of a population, such as estimated disparities between groups on a specific variable or
correlations between variables.

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3. Importance of Hypothesis:

Although hypotheses are an important aspect of research, they are not required in all sorts of
studies.

Hypotheses are not required in research that is historical or descriptive study. However, all
important investigations should include a hypothesis to explain observable facts, situations, or
behaviour which can serve as a guide during the research process.

Researchers utilise hypothesis to write down their ideas on how the experiment should be
conducted.

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The steps involved in the scientific process are as follows:

I. Creating a question

II. Researching the background

III. Developing a theory

IV. Putting together an experiment

V. The gathering of information

VI. Analyze the outcomes

VII. Putting the experiment into perspective

VIII. Reporting the findings

4. Sources of Hypothesis:

The following are some hypothesis sources:

1) The similarity between the two phenomena.

2) Insights from previous research, current experiences, and from peers.
3) Published studies, abstracts from research journals, handbooks, seminars on the topic,
and current research trends
4) Extension of the investigation.
5) Offshoots of research studies in the field.
6) Scientific theories.
7) Broad patterns that influence people's thought processes.

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5. Understanding Types of Hypothesis:

5.1 Variable:

A variable is a measurable attribute that varies between cases. Anything that can take on
different or changeable values is referred to as a variable. The values can change over time for
the same object or person, or for multiple objects or people at the same moment.

5.1.1 Independent Variables:

The independent variable is also known as the predictor variable. An independent variable is
one that has a positive or negative impact on the dependent variable. That is, when the
independent variable is present, the dependent variable is there as well, and with each unit of
increase or decrease in the independent variable, the dependent variable also increases or
decreases.

In other words, the independent variable accounts for the variance in the dependent variable.
The independent variable is adjusted to create causal relationships.

5.1.2 Dependant Variables:

The dependent variable (also known as the criterion variable).

The dependent variable is the variable that the researcher is most interested in. The researcher's
purpose is to comprehend and describe the dependent variable, as well as to explain and
anticipate its variability. To put it another way, it's the major variable that lends itself to being
investigated as a valid element. It is possible to uncover answers or solutions to the problem
by analysing the dependent variable.

Therefore, quantifying and measuring the dependent variable, as well as the other variables
that influence it, will be of interest to the researcher.

In a study, there can be more than one dependent variable.

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5.2 The Types of Hypothesis:

• Simple Hypothesis:

It depicts a link between a single dependent variable and a single independent variable.

• Complex Hypothesis:

It depicts the interaction of two or more dependent variables with two or more independent
variables.

• Directional Hypotheses:

It demonstrates a researcher's intellect and commitment to a specific objective. The nature of

the relation between the variables can also be predicted. If terms like positive, negative, greater
than, less than, and the like are used to describe the relationship between two variables or to
compare two groups, these hypotheses are directional since the direction of the relationship
between the variables (positive/negative) is specified.

• Non-directional Hypotheses:

When there is no theory involved, Non-directional hypothesis is used. It is a statement that two
variables have a relationship, but it does not predict the nature (direction) of the relationship.
Nondirectional hypotheses claim a relationship or difference but give no indication of the
direction in which these correlations or differences exist. In other words, even if we suspect a
substantial relationship exists between two variables, we may not be able to determine whether
the relationship is positive or negative.

• Associative and causal Hypotheses:

When one variable changes, the other variable changes as well. This is known as the associative
hypothesis.

The causal hypothesis, on the other hand, proposes a cause-and-effect relationship between two
or more variables.
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 • Statistical Hypothesis:

The data must be transformed into a statistical hypothesis to see if it supports or contradicts the
study hypothesis. It is presented in a statistical format. It is a statement regarding one or more
parameters that are measures of the population being studied in the context of inferential
statistics.

Inferential statistics is a type of statistics that is used to make inferences about population
values.

i. Null Hypothesis:

It makes a claim that is contrary to the hypothesis. The null hypothesis is a claim that states
a clear, accurate relationship between two variables. It states that between two different
variables, the population correlation is zero, or that the difference in the means of two groups
of populations is zero or some definite number. Generally, the null hypothesis means that there
is no significant difference between two groups or no significant association between two
variables.

ii. The Alternative Hypothesis:

The alternate is a statement that expresses a relationship between two variables or indicates
group differences. It is the complete opposite of the null hypothesis.

Example 5.1 Women are more motivated than men

The null hypothesis in respect of group differences stated in our Example 5.1 would be:

H0: µM = µW or H0: µM – µW = 0

where H0 represents the null hypothesis, µM is the mean motivational level of the men, and
µW is the mean motivational level of the women.

The alternate for the above example would statistically be set as follows:

HA: µM < µW , which is the same as HA: µW > µM

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where HA represents the alternate hypothesis and µM and µW are the mean motivation levels
of men and women, respectively.

Example 5.2 There is a difference between the work ethic values of American and Asian
employees

For the nondirectional hypothesis of mean group differences in work ethic values in Example
5.2, the null hypothesis would be:

H0: µAM = µAS or H0: µAM – µAS = 0

where H0 represents the null hypothesis, µAM is the mean work ethic value of Americans and
µAS is the mean work ethic value of Asians.

The alternate hypothesis for the above example would statistically be set as:

HA: µAM ≠ µAS

where HA represents the alternate hypothesis and µAM and µAS are the mean work ethic
values of Americans and Asians, respectively.

6.Formulating a Hypothesis:

Formulating a hypothesis might happen at the start of a research effort or after some
preliminary study has been completed. A researcher may know the variables to be investigated
already, and may already have an idea about their relationships. Or a researcher may be
interested in a topic, trend, or occurrence but lack the necessary knowledge to identify variables
or formulate a hypothesis.

When formulating a hypothesis, the most important thing to remember is to be specific about
what variables are involved, the nature of the relationship between them, and how to examine
them.

After formulating a hypothesis, hypothesizing is the next logical step. Certain testable
hypotheses or educated conjectures can be generated from the theoretical relationships of the
variables.

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Testable hypotheses can then be generated based on the theoretical framework to see if the
theory formulated is correct. Following that, proper statistical techniques can be used to
examine the hypothesized associations. We will have more confidence in the precision of our
research if we can test and duplicate the findings.

Level of Significance:

The probability of rejecting a true null hypothesis, which is the probability of "Type I error,"
is expressed by the level of significance. The most common values of α are 0.05, 0.01, 0.1, and
so on. When α = 0.05, it signifies that the level of significance is 5%. The value of α = 0.01
denotes a level of significance of one percent. The value of α = 0.01 denotes a level of
significance of 10%.

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Fig. From research problem to hypothesis, a social science example

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7. Characteristics of A Good Hypothesis:

a) The hypothesis must be concise and specific.

b) If the hypothesis is a relational hypothesis, the relationship between variables should
be stated.
c) The hypothesis should be detailed and have scope for further testing.
d) The hypothesis must be explained in a simple and straightforward manner, and it should
be realized that the hypothesis's simplicity is unrelated to its relevance.
e) A testable hypothesis is one that can be proven.
f) Relationship between variables should be stated in the hypothesis.
g) The majority of available facts should support the hypothesis. It must, in other words,
be consistent with a large body of known facts.
h) The hypothesis must account for the circumstances that led to the necessity for an
explanation. It has to be able to explain what it claims to be able to explain.

8. Hypothesis Testing:

Deductive research is the process of testing hypotheses. Through the process of induction,
theories that were not originally formed can sometimes be generated. When the data is
collected, some creative insights emerge, and new hypotheses might be formed based on these
to be evaluated later.

The crucial thing to remember when presenting hypotheses is that we make our prediction
(whether directional or not), and then make a second hypothesis that is mutually exclusive of
the first and includes all conceivable alternative outcomes for that scenario. After we've done
our study analysis, we'll have to pick between the two hypotheses.

The following are the measures to take when executing hypothesis testing:

1. Identify the null and alternative hypotheses.

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2. Depending on whether the data is parametric or nonparametric, select the appropriate
statistical test.

3. Determine the appropriate level of significance (p =.05, or higher, or less).

4. Examine the outcome of the computer analysis to see if the significance level is reached.

5. The null hypothesis is rejected and the alternate hypothesis is accepted when the resultant
value exceeds the critical value. The null hypothesis is allowed and the alternate hypothesis is
rejected if the calculated value is less than the critical value.

If we come to the conclusion "do not reject Ho," it does not necessarily imply that the null
hypothesis is correct; rather, it implies that there is insufficient evidence against Ho in favour
of Ha; rejecting the null hypothesis implies that the alternative hypothesis is correct.

We would generally reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternative if our prediction was
right. If the data does not support our initial prediction, we will accept the null hypothesis and
reject the alternative.

The following two key assumptions govern the hypothesis testing logic:

1) The creation of two mutually exclusive hypothesis statements that, when combined, rule out
all other possibilities

2) The examination of these to ensure that one is unquestionably accepted and the other is
unquestionably denied

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❖ References-
1. RESEARCH METHODS FOR BUSINESS, 2003, Uma Sekaran
2. FORMULATING AND TESTING HYPOTHESIS, July 2016
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325846748_FORMULATING_AND_TEST
ING_HYPOTHESIS
3. Research Methods, https://www.soas.ac.uk/cedep-demos/000_P506_RM_3736-
Demo/module/topindex.htm
4. Research Methods Knowledge Base, https://conjointly.com/kb/hypotheses-explained/

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