HYPOTHESES

HYPOTHESES

1. A hypothesis, a suggested answer to the problem, has the following characteristics.

   • It should conjecture upon the direction of the relationship between two or more variables.
   • It should be stated clearly and unambiguosly in the form of a declarative sentence.
   • It should be testable; that is, it should be possible to restate it in an operational form.

2. Are often confused with observations

3. Given a problem statement - Are A and B related? - There are three possible hypotheses

4. Hypothesis should be consistent with most known facts i.e., it must be consistent with a substantial body of established facts. In other words, it should be one which judges accept as being the most likely.

5. Hypothesis should be stated as far as possible in most simple terms so that the same is easily understandable by all concerned.

6. A hypothesis may be defined as a proposition or a set of proposition set forth as an explanation for the occurrence of some specified group of phenomena either asserted merely as a provisional conjecture to guide some investigation or accepted as highly probable in the light of established facts.