Lecture Notes: Formulating a Hypothesis

Introduction

• Proverb: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away"
• Exploring the truth behind this proverb using hypothesis formulation
• Speaker: Jessica from Scribbr

What is a Hypothesis?

• A tentative statement predicting outcomes in research
• Based on existing knowledge, not a random guess

Steps to Formulate a Strong Hypothesis

Step 1: Ask a Question

• Begins with a research question to answer
• Must be focused, specific, and researchable
• Example question: What are the health benefits of eating an apple a day?

Step 2: Conduct Preliminary Research

• Initial answer should be grounded in existing knowledge
• Look at theories and previous studies
• Example finding: Apples are nutritious and high in vitamin C, boosting the immune system, potentially reducing doctor visits

Step 3: Formulate Your Hypothesis

• After research, write down a clear, concise answer
• Example hypothesis: Daily apple consumption leads to fewer doctor's visits

Step 4: Refine Your Hypothesis

• Ensure specificity and testability
• Include relevant variables, predicted outcomes, and study groups
• Example refinement: Focus on people over 60 years old

Step 5: Phrase Your Hypothesis in Three Ways

1. If-Then Form
   • If people over 60 consume an apple daily, then they will visit the doctor less frequently
   • Independent variable: Daily apple consumption
   • Dependent variable: Frequency of doctor's visits
2. Correlation or Effect
   • Daily apple consumption in over-60s will result in decreased frequency of doctor's visits
3. Comparison of Two Groups
   • People over 60 who consume an apple daily visit the doctor less frequently than those who don’t

Step 6: Write a Null Hypothesis

• Necessary for statistical hypothesis testing
• Assumes no effect between variables
• Example null hypothesis: Daily apple consumption in over-60s will have no effect on the frequency of doctor's visits

Conclusion

• Encouragement to view more examples in related articles
• Call to action: Like the video if informative and ask questions for further clarification

• Remember, hypotheses need to be clear, testable, and based on prior knowledge to guide research effectively.