What is a non-directional hypothesis?

What is a non-directional hypothesis?

• A. It states a difference but not the direction.
• B. It states a specific direction of difference.
• C. It states there is no difference.
• D. It specifies sampling methods.

Answer: (A)

A non-directional hypothesis predicts there will be a difference between groups or conditions, but it does not specify which one will be higher or lower. This approach is used when the theory doesn’t forecast a direction, or you want to test for any difference at all, which is why the prediction is about a difference in general rather than a specific outcome. In testing terms, this leads to a two-tailed test, looking for effects in either direction. Saying there is no difference describes a null hypothesis, which is a different statement used for statistical testing. Stating a specific direction would be a directional (one-tailed) hypothesis. Specifying sampling methods isn’t about the predicted relationship at all.

A non-directional hypothesis predicts there will be a difference between groups or conditions, but it does not specify which one will be higher or lower. This approach is used when the theory doesn’t forecast a direction, or you want to test for any difference at all, which is why the prediction is about a difference in general rather than a specific outcome. In testing terms, this leads to a two-tailed test, looking for effects in either direction.

Saying there is no difference describes a null hypothesis, which is a different statement used for statistical testing. Stating a specific direction would be a directional (one-tailed) hypothesis. Specifying sampling methods isn’t about the predicted relationship at all.