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ISSN 0160-6891
Reseorch in Nursing ond Heolth, 1960.
EDIT0 E
Assumptions in Research
Perusal of published research in nursing and health care
literature to discover the unstated assumptions underlying a
given study can be a fascinating endeavor. The fascination
stems from the sheer intellectual pleasure of searching out
what is less than obvious, from considering what the assump-
tions imply about researchers’ current views of human na-
ture, and from distinguishing between those things that are
“true” and those things that are thought to be true under
certain conditions. Unstated assumptions can be found as
frequently as stated ones. Often the latter appear in theses
and dissertations, perhaps as a result of pressure from com-
mittee chairpersons, who often say, “Lazy researchers don’t
state their assumptions.” Actually, that statement may repre-
sent a bit of academic hyperbole, since a great many dis-
tinctly energetic researchers are well aware of their assump-
tions but omit them in reports for reasons of succinctness and
space.
Assumptions are, of course, those matters that are univer-
sally accepted o r that have been sufficiently well demon-
strated that the researcher can build on them. However, what
one person believes to be true may be somewhat different
from what another person believes to be true. Although the
soundest assumptions are firmly rooted in prior research,
most of us tend to accept those assumptions that square with
our own personal or professional views of the world without
questioning the extent to which they have been or are capable
of being verified. In addition, assumptions are not always
easy to state. Seasoned researchers may not consider it
seemly to admit that fact, but beginning researchers are quick
to acknowledge the difficulty and to ask where the dividing
line falls between assumptions and hypotheses. For example,
the statement that memory loss occurs with aging may be
accepted as an assumption by some, but as a hypothesis for
investigation by others. Probably the only assumptions that
can be agreed on as “true” are those that cause persons to
exclaim, “But that’s so basic!” Such a response is almost
guaranteed by certain statements: “Man is a biopsychosocial
being.” Another “true” assumption is exemplified in the sec-
ond sentence of this paragraph.
The more interesting assumptions occur at a level slightly
below the universal acceptance accorded the preceding
example. They are interesting because they are the ones that
appear reasonable at first glance; but if they are considered
critically, they often raise questions: “I wonder if that is re-
ally so?” -‘Is that so under all conditions?” It is well to
remind ourselves that research results are tenuous and may
be disproved by subsequent studies. It is also well to re-
member that research trends are influenced by changing cur-
rents of social thought and values. Just as certain events in
47
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48 EDITORIAL

the hands of revisionist historians take on changed meaning, so may certain health and illness
events under different social conditions. Some of the assumptions in the following list are more
reflective of certain social values than others; some reflect more substantiation over time than
others; some are characteristic of research in other fields as well as nursing and health care.
Nevertheless, these assumptions appear to underlie a considerable number of studies at the
present time, and they are ones that we find especially intriguing:

1. People want to assume control of their own health problems.

2. Stress should be avoided.
3. People are aware of the experiences that most affect their life choices.
4. Health is a priority for most people.
5 . People in underserved areas feel underserved.
6 . Most measurable attitudes are held strongly enough to direct behavior.
7. Health professionals view health care in a different manner than do lay persons.
8. Human biological and chemical factors show less variation than do cultural and social
factors.
9. The nursing process is the best way of conceptualizing nursing practice.
10. Statistically significant differences relate to the variable or variables under consideration.
11. People operate on the basis of cognitive information.
12. Increased knowledge about an event lowers anxiety about the event.
13. Receipt of health care at home is preferable to receipt of care in an institution.

To the extent (as yet unknown) that any of these or similar statements reflect current
thinking and values rather than “well-demonstrated matters,” it behooves investigators to
clarify for themselves and their readers the guiding assumptions that form the research con-
text. Research may be accepted when the assumptions on which it is based are known; it may
be rejected if the reader does not understand what assumptions were operative at the time the
research was carried out. In addition, investigators themselves profit from this salutary exer-
cise, since increased attention to the assumptions may suggest that one or more assumptions
are in need of examination.
Margaret A. Williams
Professor, School of Nursing
University of Wisconsin-Madison