9723723, 9:26 PM [Null & Atemative Hypotheses | Detintions, Templates & Examples © Scribbr Null & Alternative Hypotheses | Definitions, Templates & Examples Published on May 6,2022 by Shoun Turney. Revised an June 22,2023. The null and alternative hypotheses are two competing claims that researchers weigh evidence for and against using a statistical test: + Null hypothesis (Ho): There's no effect in the population. + Alternative hypothesis (H, or Hy): There's an effect in the population. The effect is usually the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable. bntpe:twwwserbbr-comistatistesinulland-atemative hypotheses! ana9723723, 9:26 PM [Null & Atemative Hypotheses | Detintions, Templates & Examples Anecwarina vaur racaarch auactian with = Table of contents The null and alternative hypotheses offer competing answers to your research question. When the research question asks "Does the independent variable affect the dependent variable?”: + The null hypothesis (Ho) answers “No, there's no effect in the population.” + The alternative hypothesis (H,) answers "Yes, there is an effect in the population.” The null and alternative are always claims about the population That's because the goal of hypothesis testing is to make inferences about a population based on a sample. Often, we infer whether there's an effect in the population by looking at differences between groups or relationships between variables in the sample. It’s critical for your research to write strong hypotheses. You can use a statistical test to decide whether the evidence favors the null or alternative hypothesis. Each type of statistical test comes with a specific way of phrasing the null and alternative hypothesis. However, the hypotheses can also be phrased in a general way that applies to any test. Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting Professional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on: v Academic style v Vague sentences yv Grammar v Style consistency bntpe:twwwserbbr-comistatistesinulland-atemative hypotheses! ana9723723, 9:26 PM [Null & Atemative Hypotheses | Detintions, Templates & Examples = Table of contents What is a null hypothesis? The null hypothesis is the claim that there’s no effect in the population. If the sample provides enough evidence against the claim that there's no effect in the population (p < a), then we can reject the null hypothesis. Otherwise, we fail to reject the null hypothesis. Although “fail to reject” may sound awkward, it’s the only wording that statisticians accept. Be careful not to say you “prove” or “accept” the null hypothesis. Example: Population on trial Think of a statistical test as being like a legal trial. The population is accused of the “crime” of having an effect, and the sample is the criminal evidence. In the United States and many other countries, a person accused of a crime is assumed to be innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, we start by assuming the population is “innocent” of having an effect, In other words, the null hypothesis (i.e., that there is no effect) is assumed to be true until the sample provides enough evidence to reject it. Null hypotheses often include phrases such as “no effect,” “no difference,” or “no relationship.” When written in mathematical terms, they always include an equality (usually =, but sometimes = ors) hntpe:twwwserbbr-comistatistesinulland-atemative hypotheses! aa9123/23, 9:26 PAM [Null & Attemative Hypotheses | Dafintions, Templates & Examples You can never know with complete certainty whether there is an = Table of contents Inference aout tne population will De Incorrect. wnen you incorrectly reject the null hypothesis, it’s called a type | error. When you incorrectly fail to reject it, it's a type Il error. Examples of null hypotheses The table below gives examples of research questions and null hypotheses. There's always more than one way to answer a research question, but these null hypotheses can help you get started. Research question Does tooth flossing affect the number of cavities? Does the amount of text highlighted in the textbook affect exam scores? Null hypothesis (Ho) General Tooth flossing has no effect on the number of cavities. The amount of text highlighted in the textbook has no effect on exam scores. hntpe:twww serbbr-comistatistesinulland-atemative hypotheses! Test-specific ttest: The mean number of cavities per person does not differ between the flossing group (1) and the non-flossing group (uz) in the population; 1 = be Linear regression: There is no relationship between the amount of text highlighted and exam scores in the population; By = 0. 449723723, 9:26 PM [Null & Atemative Hypotheses | Detintions, Tamplates & Examples = Table of contents aecrease tne aecrease tne incidence of incidence of with depression in the depression? depression.* daly-meditation group (p)) is greater than or equal to the no- meditation group (p2) in the population; py = pa *Note that some researchers prefer to always write the null hypothesis in terms of "no effect” and "=", It would be fine to say that daily meditation has no effect on the incidence of depression and p, What is an alternative hypothesis? The alternative hypothesis (H,) is the other answer to your research question. It claims that there's an effect in the population Often, your alternative hypothesis is the same as your research hypothesis. In other words, it's the claim that you expect or hope will be true. The alternative hypothesis is the complement to the null hypothesis. Null and alternative hypotheses are exhaustive, meaning that together they cover every possible outcome. They are also mutually exclusive, meaning that only one can be true at a time. Tip Be careful with your words when you report the results of a statistical test in a research paper or thesis. If you reject the null hypothesis, you can say that the alternative hypothesis is supported. On the other hand, if you fail to reject the null hypothesis, then you can say that the alternative hypothesis hntpe:twwwserbbr-comistatistesinulland-atemative hypotheses! ona9123/23, 9:26 PAM [Null & Attemative Hypotheses | Dafintions, Templates & Examples is not supported. Never sav that vou've proven or disoroven = Table of contents Alternative hypotheses often include phrases such as “an effect,” “a difference,” or “a relationship.” When alternative hypotheses are written in mathematical terms, they always include an inequality (usually #, but sometimes < or >). As with null hypotheses, there are many acceptable ways to phrase an alternative hypothesis. Examples of alternative hypotheses The table below gives examples of research questions and alternative hypotheses to help you get started with formulating your own. Research question Does tooth flossing affect the number of cavities? Does the amount of text highlighted in a textbook affect exam scores? Alternative hypothesis (H,) General Test-spet Tooth flossing has _ttest: an effect on the The mean number of number of cavities per person cavities. differs between the flossing group (4) and the non-flossing group (2) in the population; jn Me The amount of Linear regression: text highlighted in the textbook has There is a relationship between the amount of, an effect on exam scores. text highlighted and exam scores in the population; B, # 0. bntpe:twwwserbbr-comistatistesinulland-atemative-hypotheses! ana9123/23, 9:26 PAM = Table of contents aecrease tne incidence of depression? [Null & Attemative Hypotheses | Dafintions, Templates & Examples incigence or with depression in the depression, daily-meditation group (p))is less than the no- meditation group (1) in the population; py < pa, Similarities and differences between null and alternative hypotheses Null and alternative hypotheses are similar in some ways: v They're both answers to the research question. v They both make claims about the population. v They'te both evaluated by statistical tests. However, there are important differences between the two types of hypotheses, summarized in the following table. Also known as Typical phrases used Null hypotheses (Ho) Alternative hypotheses (Ha) Acclaim that there iso Aclaim that there is an effect in the population. _ effect in the population. Ho Hy a * No effect + Aneffect + No difference + Adifference * No relationship * Arelationship * No change * Achange + Does not increase + Increases + Does not * Decreases decrease hnpe:twwwserbbr-comistatistesinulland-atemative hypotheses! ma9723723, 9:26 PM [Null & Atemative Hypotheses | Detntions, Templates & Examples = Table of contents psa Rejected Supported pra Failed to reject Not supported Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting Professional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on: v Academic style v Vague sentences yv Grammar v Style consistency See an example How to write null and alternative hypotheses To help you write your hypotheses, you can use the template sentences below. If you know which statistical test you're going to use, you can use the test-specific template sentences. Otherwise, you can use the general template sentences. General template sentences The only thing you need to know to use these general template sentences are your dependent and independent variables. To write your research question, null hypothesis, and alternative hypothesis, fill in the following sentences with your variables: bntpe:twwwserbbr-comistatistesinulland-atemative hypotheses! ana9123/23, 9:26 PAM [Null & Attemative Hypotheses | Dafintions, Templates & Examples Does independent variable affect dependent variable? = Table of contents dependent variable. + Alternative hypothesis (H): Independent variable affects dependent variable. Test-specific template sentences Once you know the statistical test you'll be using, you can write your hypotheses in a more precise and mathematical way specific to the test you chose. The table below provides template sentences for common statistical tests. Stat al test Two-sample test or ‘One-way ANOVA with two groups ‘One-way ANOVA with three groups Pearson correlation Null hypothesis (Ho) The mean dependent variable does not differ between group 1 (jn) and group 2 (up) in the population; {y= U2. The mean dependent variable does not differ between group 1 (in), group 2 (uz), and group 3 (Ug) in the population; b= be = Ha. There is no correlation between independent variable and dependent variable in the population; p = 0. hntpe:twwwserbbr-comistatistesinulland-atemative hypotheses! Alternative hypothesis (Ha) The mean dependent variable differs between group 1 (1) and group 2 (jz) in the Population; by * 2. The mean dependent variable of group 1 (i), group 2 (12), and group 3 (Hs) are not all equal in the population. There is a correlation between independent variable and dependent variable in the population; p # 0. ana9723723, 9:26 PM [Null & Atemative Hypotheses | Detintions, Tamplates & Examples = Table of contents vaniapie ana gepenuent —_variaoie ana variable in the dependent variable in population; 8; = 0. the population; ; #0. Two- The dependent variable The dependent proportions z expressed asa variable expressed as a test proportion does not proportion differs differ between group 1 between group 1 (p)) (e1) and group 2 (p2) in and group 2 (pz) in the the population; py = Population; p; + pp Note: The template sentences above assume that you're performing one-tailed tests, One-tailed tests are appropriate for most studies. Other interesting articles If you want to know more about statistics, methodology, or research bias, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples. lul_ Statistics * Normal distribution Kurtosis Descriptive statistics Measures of central tendency Correlation coefficient pvalue Methodology * Cluster sampling ntpe:twwwserbbr-comistatistesinulland-atemative hypotheses! s0n4972328, 9:26 Pa Null & Aemative Hypotheses | Deion, Templates & Examples * Stratified samplina = Table of contents * vase stuay * Cohort study * Thematic analysis @ Research bias + Implicit bias * Cognitive bias * Survivorship bias * Availability heuristic * Nonresponse bias * Regression to the mean Frequently asked questions What is hypothesis testing? > What are null and alternative hypotheses? > What symbols are used to represent null hypotheses? > What symbols are used to represent alternative > hypotheses? What's the difference between a research hypothesis and > a statistical hypothesis? Cite this Scribbr article hntpe:twwwserbbr-comistatistesinulland-atemative hypotheses! wine9723723, 9:26 PM [Null & Atemative Hypotheses | Detintions, Templates & Examples If vou want to cite this source. vou can conv and paste the = Table of contents automaucaly aaa tne ciation to our tree Uitation Generator. Turney, S. (2023, June 22). Null & Alternative Hypotheses | Definitions, Templates & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved September 22, Cite this 2023, from article https://www.scribbr.com/statistics/null-and- alternative-hypotheses/ Is this article helpful? 309 37 Shaun Turney During his MSc and PhD, Shaun learned how to apply scientific and statistical methods to his research in ecology. Now he loves to teach students how to collect and analyze data for their own theses and research projects. Other students also liked ntpe:twwwserbbr-comistatistesinulland-atemative hypotheses! sana9723723, 9:26 PM [Null & Atemative Hypotheses | Detintions, Templates & Examples = Table of contents While descriptive statistics summarize data, inferential statistics help you come to 549 slusions and make predictions based on your data, Hypothesis Testing | A Step-by-Step Guide with Easy Examples Hypothesis testing is a formal procedure for investigating our ideas about the world, It allows you to statistically test your predictions. 2125 Type | & Type Ill Errors | Visualizations ferences, Examples, In statistics, a Type | error is a false positive conclusion, while @ Type Il error is @ false negative conclusion. 1035 Scribbr Our editors Jobs Partners FAQ Our services Plagiarism Checker Proofreading Services Citation Generator Al Proofreader ntpe:twwwserbbr-comistatistesinulland-atemative hypotheses! s3in49723723, 9:26 PM [Null & Atemative Hypotheses | Detintions, Templates & Examples Free Al Detector = Table of contents wrammar Unecker Free Text Summarizer Citation Checker Knowledge Base Contact [email protected] & +1 (510) 822-8066 47 Terms of Use Privacy Policy Copyright Policy Happiness guarantee bntpe:twwwserbbr-comistatistesinulland-atemative hypotheses! sana