Discussion Thread: Research Hypothesis

Discussion Thread: Research Hypothesis

A research hypothesis is a tentative statement concerning an anticipated relationship between variables or a clear, specific, testable, and falsifiable description of an occurrence1. It presents a research question and suggests the projected result. Researchers formulate a hypothesis before conducting the trial and prove it right or wrong at the end. The formulation process helps investigators focus only on the vital elements of the research issue under investigation by guiding the examiner on the type of sample population to consider and the data to collect. In the article “Eating healthy to impress: How conspicuous consumption, perceived self-control motivation, and descriptive normative influence determines functional food choices,” the authors hypothesized that:

1. Health consciousness is associated positively with functional food distinctiveness evaluation

2. Health consciousness is correlated positively with self-reported functional food purchase rates

3. Consumption in public has a favorable relationship with the assessment of functional food distinctiveness

4. Conspicuous consumption is related positively to self-reported functional food purchase rates

5. Negative relationships exist between perceived self-control motivation and functional food uniqueness assessment

6. Perceived self-control motivation is associated negatively with a self-reported functional food purchase rate 

7. Descriptive normative vulnerability to peer influence is correlated positively with functional food distinctiveness evaluation

8. Descriptive normative exposure to peer influence is associated positively with a self-reported functional food purchase rate

A hypothesis can be associative or casual. An associative hypothesis adopts the associative correlation between the dependent and independent variables. In such a relationship, a change in one variable alters the other. It only assesses the concurrent occurrence of two or more incidents. Alternatively, a causal hypothesis suggests an effect on the dependent element due to the manipulation of the independent variable3. It forecasts the variations in the events to happen in the future due to the alterations in different variables. All eight hypotheses in the study are associative.

A research hypothesis can also be directional or non-directional. The directional hypothesis forecast the correlation between two or more dependent and independent variables and the nature and direction in which the variation might occur. It is focused on the research question, and examiners validate it through different statistical techniques.4 Alternatively, the non-directional hypothesis anticipates that a relationship exists between two variables, although it does not predict the exact direction of the connection. Examiners use such a hypothesis if contradictory findings exist concerning the study concepts in a previous investigation. The eight hypotheses in the study are directional since they show positive correlations between health consciousness, conspicuous consumption, perceive self-control motivations, descriptive normative susceptibility to peer pressure, and functional food distinctiveness evaluation and purchase rate.

Investigators can also have a null hypothesis (Ho), which proposes that no direct connection exists between two variables involved in the research.3 Specifically, changes in the independent variables do not affect the dependent elements. The examiner must test the possibility of the null hypothesis, in tandem with an alternative one, to disapprove it. The alternative hypothesis (H1 or Ha) contradicts the null hypothesis. In this study, the null hypotheses would be that:

a) Health consciousness, functional food uniqueness assessment, and self-reported functional food purchase rates don't correlate with one another.

b) No correlation exists between noticeable consumption, functional food distinctiveness evaluation, and self-reported functional food purchase rates

c) No connection exists between perceived self-control motivations, functional food distinctiveness evaluation, and self-reported functional food purchase rate 

d) No relationship exists between descriptive normative vulnerability to peer influence, functional food distinctiveness evaluation, and self-reported functional food purchase rate

In summary, a hypothesis is not just a simple statement. It reveals the expectations and potential outcomes of the investigations a researcher conducts. Therefore, one should design it carefully since even a minor error can affect the whole study adversely. In particular, it is essential to conduct thorough research before formulating the hypothesis, understanding the research problem clearly, and mentioning the study variables. Likewise, the hypothesis language should be clear. The study meets these criteria, and their findings support the hypothesis that early egg introduction improved child growth significantly. 

References

1. Frost J. Hypothesis Testing: An Intuitive Guide for Making Data Driven Decisions. Statistics by Jim Publishing.; 2020.

2. Barauskaite D, Gineikiene J, Fennis BM, Auruskeviciene V, Yamaguchi M, Kondo N. Eating healthy to impress: How conspicuous consumption, perceived self-control motivation, and descriptive normative influence determine functional food choices. Appetite. 2018;131:59-67. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2018.08.015

3. Anupama. K. Hypothesis types and research. International Journal of Nursing Science Practice and Research. 2018;4(2):78-80. https://doi.org/10.37628/ijnspr.v4i2.812

4. Mourougan S, Sethuraman D. Hypothesis development and testing. IOSR Journal of Business and Management. 2017;19(05):34-40. doi:10.9790/487x-1905013440