Hypothesis the thesis or the main idea

of the experiment
-is the statement about the
predicted relationship between at least
two variable

NON-EXPERIMENTAL HYPOTHESIS
not a statement about cause and effect
- is a statement that predicts how events,
traits or behaviours might be related
 *A TRUE EXPERIMENTAL HYPOTHESIS
predicts the effects of a specific antecedent
conditions on some behaviour that is to be
measured
* Believing that something is true or
interesting is not enough to make it a useful
hypothesis.
*Hypotheses must be testable, falsifiable,
parsimonious, fruitful
2 TYPES OF STATEMENTS:

1. SYNTHETIC STATEMENTS
-are those that can be either true or false
-can be supported or contradicted
-ex. Hungry students read slowly.
-findings gathered from an experiment will either prove it or disprove it

2. NON SYNTHETIC STATEMENTS

-Statements that are always true or false

ANALYTIC STATEMENTS is one that is always true

Ex. I am a female.

CONTRADICTORY STATEMENT are statements that oppose each other

- Are always false
Ex. I have a brother and I dont have a brother
 Because analytic statements are always true and
contradictory statements are always false, they do
not need experimentation to be tested because the
outcome is already known
A hypothesis meets the definition of a synthetic
statement when it is stated in the if., then form.
This form expresses a potential relationship between
antecedents and the behaviours to be measured.
Ex. If you look at an appealing photograph, then
your pupils will dilate.
Characteristics of a good hypothesis
*Hypothesis must be TESTABLE
- the means for manipulating antecedent conditions
and measuring the resulting behaviour must exist
*Hypothesis must be FALSIFIABLE
-disprovable
*Hypothesis should be PARSIMONIOUS
-simplest explanation is preferred
*Hypothesis should be FRUITFUL
-it leads to new studies
APPROACHES (WAYS ) IN FORMING HYPOTHESIS

1. THE INDUCTIVE MODEL the process of reasoning from

specific cases to more general principles by examining
individual instances
-is a basic tool for theory building
THEORY is a set of general principles to make the
predictions about specific instances

2. THE DEDUCTIVE MODEL the process of reasoning from

general principles to make predictions about specific
instances
-most useful when we have a theory first with clear basic
premises
COMBINING INDUCTION AND DEDUCTION

-In practice, the induction and deduction approaches

are not separate
Induction happens initially before a theory or a general
principle is formed.
-both induction and deduction are important in
research
3. BUILDING ON PRIOR RESEARCH an excellent source of hypotheses
-about points that other researchers have missed with their research
-new ideas for new application of the theory
-additional variables that could cause an effect on the experiment

4. SERENDIPITY AND WINDFALL ANALYSIS

The knack of finding things that are not being sought
Ex: Pavlovs classical conditioning started with studying stomach
secretions of the digestive glands when feeding dogs.

Serendipity can be useful in generating new hypothesis only if we are

open to new possibilities
QUESTIONS TO BE CONSIDERED ABOUT
POTENTIALLY RELEVANT OBSERVATIONS
Are they interpretable?
Do they explain something not explained before?
Do they suggest a new way of looking at a problem?

*Serendipity is not just a matter of luck, it is always a

matter of knowing enough to use an opportunity
 5. INTUITION is knowing without reasoning
-hunch
-closest to phenomenology as we attend to our own experience
-are done in the context of other research
-cannot be accepted as valid until it has been translated into a
hypothesis and subjected to empirical tests
-should not destroy objectivity
According to HERBERT SIMON, good hunches are really an
unconscious result of our expertise in an area.
IF ALL ELSE FAILS:
Go to the library and read journals
Observe
Turn attention to real world problems
Exercise:
1. Which of the following are synthetic statements?
a. If I am cold, then it is December.
b. Out of sight, out of mind.
c. Virtue is its own reward.
d. A statement that is always true is always true.

2. Is a discovery made through serendipity just a matter

of luck? Explain your answer.
3. Dr. G. has just completed a study that shows a
correlation between the amount of time children
watch television and their attention spans. Assume
that the correlation was r=-.34. State an experimental
hypothesis based on this finding and devise a simple
procedure for testing it.