1. Increasing______ variable causes an increase in _______ variable
or
2. Increasing ______ variable causes a decrease in _________ variable.
Of course, more complicated hypotheses are appreciated. For example, a great
hypothesis might be in the form
The more _____ variable, the (less/more)_____ variable, depending on
____________ variable.
| Yes/No | |
| Have you gone through the first hypothesis tutorial? | |
| Have you gone through the second hypothesis tutorial? | |
| Does your hypothesis involve psychological variables? (Please do not hypothesize that leaves will turn green.) |
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Is your predictor variable psychological? Try to avoid physiological manipulations such as drugs
(e.g., caffeine). In addition,
you should probably avoid non-psychological manipulations like eating breakfast,
exercise, and sleep deprivation.
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Are you predicting that participants differing on one variable
will also differ on another? (Remember that your
hypothesis cannot be the null hypothesis because the null
hypothesis cannot be proven.) |
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| Is your hypothesis interesting? | |
| Is your hypothesis specific? For example, rather than predicting that a variable will affect scores on a measure, do you specify that the variable will increase scores on that measure? | |
| Can your variables be objectively measured or manipulated? | |
| Can the hypothesis be tested without violating APA's ethical standards? | |
| Is there a reasonable chance that your hypothesis will be wrong?
Your hypothesis should be somewhat risky: It should not be an already established fact. | |
| Can you produce sound reasons why the hypothesis might be supported-- and do these reasons come from logic, theory, or past research? If so, please outline those reasons on the back of this sheet. | |
| If the results turn out as you expect, will there be implications for theory, practice, or future research? | |
| * Are you predicting that changing one variable will cause an effect on another variable? | |
| * Can you manipulate your predictor variable? That is, does it involve instructions, stimuli, or treatments that you can give to one set of participants, but not to another? | |
| **Do you have a moderator variable? The moderator variable would intensify, weaken, or reverse the relationship between two other variables. |