Which hypothesis represents the prediction that there will be an effect in the study?

Which hypothesis represents the prediction that there will be an effect in the study?

• A. Null hypothesis
• B. Alternative hypothesis
• C. Research hypothesis
• D. Pattern hypothesis

Answer: (B)

In hypothesis testing, you set up two competing statements: one that there is no effect (the default) and another that there is an effect. The prediction that there will be an effect in the study is captured by the alternative hypothesis. It expresses that a real effect or difference exists and is the statement researchers aim to find evidence for in their data. The null hypothesis, by contrast, asserts no effect, and is what the test is designed to challenge. A research hypothesis is sometimes used informally to describe an expected outcome, but the formal term that matches the idea of an expected effect for the test is the alternative hypothesis. The pattern hypothesis isn’t a standard term used in hypothesis testing, so it doesn’t fit.

In hypothesis testing, you set up two competing statements: one that there is no effect (the default) and another that there is an effect. The prediction that there will be an effect in the study is captured by the alternative hypothesis. It expresses that a real effect or difference exists and is the statement researchers aim to find evidence for in their data. The null hypothesis, by contrast, asserts no effect, and is what the test is designed to challenge. A research hypothesis is sometimes used informally to describe an expected outcome, but the formal term that matches the idea of an expected effect for the test is the alternative hypothesis. The pattern hypothesis isn’t a standard term used in hypothesis testing, so it doesn’t fit.