What is the difference between the null hypothesis and the research hypothesis?

The null hypothesis:

  • States that results are due to chance, and not due a significant effect of the theory/idea the research is testing.

The research hypothesis:

  • States that the results are not due to chance, and are due to a significant effect of the theory/idea the research is testing.

If the result from the research is significant, the research hypothesis is accepted and the null hypothesis is rejected.

Answered by Naomi W. Psychology tutor

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