Hypotheses

1
Hypotheses
2
Research Ideas

• Investigation of a gap in knowledge
• How do we know if we have a good idea?
• Testable
• How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
• Likelihood of success
• The closer to reality we can get, the more likely
  we can unlock some secret of nature

3
Sources of Research Ideas

• Nonsystematic Sources
• Inspiration
• Serendipity
• Everyday Occurrences
• Systematic Sources
• Past Research
• Theory
• Classroom lectures

4
Developing Hypotheses and Theory

• Inductive Reasoning
• Reasoning from specific cases to general theory

5
Developing Hypotheses and Theory

• Deductive Reasoning
• Reasoning from general theory to specific cases

6
Developing Hypotheses and Theory

• Strong Inference
• Eliminating possible alternative explanations
• Create alternative hypotheses
• Design your experiment(s) so that each possible
  outcome of the experiment will eliminate one or
  more of the hypotheses
• Conduct experiment(s) to get a clean result

7
Hypothesizing

• In the absence of any other knowledge, you must
  assume no difference between groups
• Null Hypothesis
• Starting point
• Benchmark

8
The Research Hypothesis

• Your prediction of the relationship between the
  independent variable and the dependent variable
• Synthetic statement Either true or false
• Analytic statement Always true
• Contradictory statement Always false

9
The Research Hypothesis

• Falsifiability
• Theories and hypotheses should be stated in such
  a way that they can be proven false
• Parsimony
• If two theories explain the same phenomena, go
  with the less complex theory

10
The Research Hypothesis

• General Implication Form
• You must be able to state your research
  hypothesis in IfThen form
• If Refers to the IV manipulation
• Then Refers to DV changes we expect to observe

11
The Research Hypothesis

• Good hypotheses
• Specify the nature of the relationship between
  variables
• Are worded so that its clear how they will be
  tested
• Are not value judgments

12
The Research Hypothesis

• Specific prediction
• Synthetic statement (falsifiable)
• Can be stated in general implication form
• Testable
• Concepts properly defined
• Operational Definition
• Define constructs so others can duplicate
• Define variables by the operations needed to
  produce them