USING HYPOTHESES

          A hypothesis is a statement to be proved or disproved as a result of research. For example, a study of skilled manufacturing employees might be made to determine whether production would increase if the employees were given a bonus or incentive pay for production in excess of a standard. The researcher could formulate a hypothesis in the following way: "Production of skilled manufacturing employees will increase if the employees are given added pay for production in excess of the standard." The researcher then attempts to test the validity of this positive statement through research.

          However, many researchers object to the use of a positive hypothesis because it may indicate a "built-in" prejudice on the part of the researcher toward a result favoring the hypothesis. Thus, a null hypothesis might be desirable. The null hypothesis takes the form of a statement indicating no prejudice toward an answer. For example, the null hypothesis on production of manufacturing employees could be stated in this way: "No significant difference will exist between production of workers on an incentive pay plan and production of workers on a regular wage plan."

Last updated 11/01/99