Hypothesis and variables Flashcards
what is the definition of a hypothesis?
a testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables or a proposed explanation for an observed phenomenon
what is an experimental hypothesis?
suggests that when the variables are looked at, there will be a change
what is a null hypothesis?
suggests there won’t be a change, and if there is it won’t be big enough to confirm a significant difference
what is needed at the end when writing a null hypothesis?
‘any difference is due to chance’
what is a directional / 1- tailed hypothesis?
describes exactly what will happen and the result
what is a non-directional / 2 - tailed hypothesis?
describes what will happen vaguely without detail
what is needed when a directional hypothesis is written?
the effect on both participants must be included, eg , the more hours of TV watched by a person, the higher the need for glasses to be worn whereas the less hours of TV watched by a person, the lower the need for glasses
why is it important to test for cause and effect?
otherwise you cannot guarantee that one thing is effecting something else
what is the independent variable?
the variable that is changed
what is the dependant variable?
the variable effected by the change
what is operationalism?
when a variable is clearly defined by the researcher
how do you operationalise a hypothesis?
state the variable specifically, eg, ‘there will be a significant difference between heart rate and exercise’ should be ‘there will be a significant difference between heart rate in BPM and different types of exercise, such as running, jumping and sprinting’
why is a control group used?
to provide a baseline
