Null Hypothesis and Research Hypothesis, Essay Example

The difference between Null Hypothesis and Research Hypothesis lies in the characteristics of the population. When using Null Null Hypothesis, the researcher assumes that the population means are equal. Research Hypotheses are used when the population means are not equal.

The Null Hypothesis is used to determine whether or not the Research Hypothesis is correct. If the Null Hypothesis is rejected, it confirms the validity of the Research Hypothesis. By accepting that the Research Hypothesis is correct, researchers can identify a relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable.

The main difference between the Null Hypothesis and the Research Hypothesis is their purpose. Null Hypotheses are applied to phenomenon that the researcher tries to disprove (nullify). The Null Hypothesis needs to be specific to the research question, for example: “Socioeconomic status does not affect health outcomes”. As a contrast, the Research Hypothesis is what the researcher is trying to prove, related to the question. As an example, a research hypothesis could be “Health outcomes vary based on geographical location in the United States, and are usually better in suburban areas than in urban communities”. If the Null Hypothesis is not confirmed and rejected, the impact of socio-economic status is found to have no significance on the research results.

The rejection of the Null Hypothesis means that there is only a little probability for a random error during the research. This stated, using the Null Hypothesis serves the purpose of proving the statistical significance of the research. To reject a Null Hypothesis, researchers usually apply a significance level of .05 or .01. This indicates that the Null Hypothesis is not confirmed, therefore, the Research Hypothesis can be used for inferential statistics.