Hypothesis
Hypothesis
Hypothesis
Wagari Refu
Teklewoin Kassaye
Zewdu Hakimu
Meseret Yohannes
Hunbelew GebreTsadik
Michael Gezae
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this program, we will be able to
Characteristics of Hypothesis
Categories of Hypothesis
Forming a Hypothesis
Testing a Hypothesis
The scientific Method
Is an overarching perspective
On how scientific investigations should proceed
A preliminary explanation
A preliminary Postulate
Various Authors
“A hypothesis is a conjectural statement of the relation
between two or more variables”. (Kerlinger, 1956)
Socio-Culture background,
Business Ethic,
Economic events
Etc..
Forms of Hypothesis
Hypotheses can take various forms, depending
on the question being asked and the type of
study being conducted
◦ Some hypotheses may simply describe how two things may
be related. For example, correlational research
◦ In others the researcher might hypothesize that one
variable causes a change in the other variable (causal
relationship
In their simplest forms, hypotheses are typically
phrased as “if-then” statements
A Hypothesis
must make a prediction
must identify at least two variables
should have an elucidating power
should strive to furnish an acceptable explanation or
accounting of a fact
must be falsifiable meaning hypotheses must be
capable of being refuted based on the results of the
study
must be formulated in simple, understandable terms
should correspond with existing knowledge
In general, a hypothesis needs to be unambiguous
specific, quantifiable, testable and generalizable.
Characteristics of a Testable Hypothesis
1. A Hypothesis must be conceptually clear
- concepts should be clearly defined
- the definitions should be commonly accepted
- the definitions should be easily communicable
In this way
- the study could benefit from the existing knowledge and
- later on through testing the hypothesis could contribute to the
reservoir of knowledge
Categorizing Hypotheses
Can be categorized in different ways
2. Based on direction
Directional and Non-directional Hypothesis
Continuous variables are variables that can theoretically take on any value along a
continuum like age, income weight, height etc..
The choice of which statistical tests will be used to analyze the data is partially
dependent on whether the researcher uses categorical or continuous variables.
Certain statistical tests are appropriate for categorical variables, while other
statistical tests are appropriate for continuous variables.
As with many decisions in the research-planning process, the choice of which type
of variable to use is partially dependent on the question that the researcher is
attempting to answer.
Quantitative vs. Qualitative Variables
Qualitative variables are variables that vary
in kind, like “attractive” or “not attractive,”
“helpful” or “not helpful,” or “consistent”
or “not consistent”
Verify that the hypothesis includes a subject group. A subject group defines
who or what the researcher is studying. In the example above, the subject
group is the smokers.
Summary (Cont…)
1. Verify that a treatment or exposure is included in the
experiment. A treatment is literally what is being done to the
subject group. In our example, the exposure is smoke or
smoking.
DATA ANALYSIS
OUTCOME
In Population Accept Null Reject Null
Hypothesis Hypothesis
Null Hypothesis Correct Decision Type I Error
True
Null Hypothesis Type II Error Correct
False Decision
Hypothesis Testing About a Single Mean
Step-by-Step
1) Formulate Hypotheses
2) Select appropriate formula
3) Select significance level
4) Calculate z or t statistic
5) Calculate degrees of freedom (for t-test)
6) Obtain critical value from table
7) Make decision regarding the Null-hypothesis
Hypothesis Testing About a Single
Mean - Example 1(2 tailed)
Ho: = 5000 (hypothesized value of population)
Ha: 5000 (alternative hypothesis)
n = 100
= 4960
= 250
= 0.05
Males Females
( X )
t= X tsx = Interval estimate for
sx
Relationship between C.I and
Hypothesis Testing (Example 2)
Revisit the first example we started with