A HYPOTHESIS is a testable statement that essentially predicts what the researchers expect the study will find. Hypothesis only apply to experiments and correlations and should be written in past tense. A hypothesis should allow you to quickly gain a clear understanding of what is being tested in the study and exactly how. There are two main types of hypothesis, firstly, alternate hypothesis and secondly null hypothesis. Hypothesis relating to correlations are also null or alternate but worded slightly differently.
1) An alternate hypothesis would predict some sort of difference WILL occur between the variables. E.g. “There will be a gender difference in the number of correct emotions identified in the photographs of faces” (predicts the effect of the IV on DV).
2) A Null Hypothesis states that NO difference/relationship will be found. E.g. “There will be no significant difference between males and females in the number of correct emotions identified in the photographs of faces”.
3) A correlational hypothesis would predict that there will be a relationship between the two variables. E.g. “There will be a positive correlation between the amount of sleep and levels of concentration. The more sleep in hours a person has, the higher the level of concentration”.
Decide if the following are examples of alternate or null hypotheses then highlight the hypothesis which is correlational:
1. Men who have beards will be perceived as significantly older in years than men who are clean shaven. =
2. The number of errors children make on the numbers conservation tasks will be significantly affected by the age of the child. =
3. There will be no difference in whether babies who go to nursery are more intelligent later in life than babies who do not go to nursery. =
4. There will be no significant relationship between hours spent revising and overall score out of 100 on a general knowledge test. =
5. There will be a significant difference in the number of items correctly recalled from a list of fifty words when they are shown as pictures as opposed to words. =
There must be clear operationalisation of both the IV & DV, so the IV should be operationalised into different conditions (how it is manipulated), and the DV should be operationalised to clearly show how behaviour is measured/ scored.
You should clearly state if a difference or no difference will be found if you are writing an experimental hypothesis and if a relationship will or will not be found if writing a correlational hypothesis.
Writing frame
Below is an example of a writing frame that can be adapted to write different types of hypothesis.
There will be a significant difference in the __________________ of participants in the
__________________ condition compared to the _________________ condition.
To write a null hypothesis – just amend and make sure you say “no significant difference” when
referring to the DV. Always start with “There will be no significant difference”
Over to you:For each of the stimuli below, write an alternate hypothesis and a null hypothesis- Try and fully operationalise.
A researcher has conducted an experiment to see if people recall more words from a list of 10 words when they learn and recall in the same room rather than if they learn and recall in a different room..
A researcher has conducted a study to investigate whether chewing gum influences concentration. She recorded how many changes were detected in the spot the difference puzzle by people chewing gum whilst completing the task compared to those who were not.
A researcher is conducting a correlation to investigate if exposure to sunlight has a relationship with levels of happiness.
A researcher has conducted a correlational study to investigate the relationship between how good people think their memory is and how well they do on a memory test.
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