research RM

After you have a clear research topic in mind, have identified independent and dependent variables, and have considered relationships between these variables, you will want to make a statement of what you predict that relationship will be. 

For example, based on the literature, I believe that weight increases with age. Now I can convert this statement into a hypothesis. My hypothesis is, “Weight increases with age.” Since this is what I believe to be true, this is called the alternative hypothesis, denoted H1. The null hypothesis, denoted H0, is what a researcher would actually test. A null hypothesis is always going to support a status quo or indicate that there is no difference or no relationship. For my example, H0: “Weight change is independent of age.” 

Here are some generalized way of presenting your null (H0) and alternative (H1) hypotheses. If you are comparing categorical data, 

H0: Variable A is independent of Variable B.  

H1: Variable A is dependent on variable B.  If you are testing against a set value,  

H0: = value  

H1: ≠ value (or) H1: > value (or) H1: < value  For this assignment, use your predicted relationship between the independent and dependent variables that you identified in step one to create a null and alternative hypothesis.