Question

A hypothesis stipulating that there is no difference between the situations, groups and outcomes is called:

• A. Hypothesis of association
• B. Null hypothesis
• C. Hypothesis of differences
• D. Alternative hypothesis

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

The correct option is (B): Null hypothesis.

Answer 2

Statistical hypotheses are classified by what claim they make about differences between groups or outcomes, so each option can be checked against the definition of "no difference":

1. Hypothesis of association: This type of hypothesis proposes that a relationship or association exists between variables, which is the opposite of stating that there is no difference.
2. Null hypothesis: The null hypothesis is specifically defined as the hypothesis of no difference, it states that there is no real difference between the groups, situations or outcomes being compared, and any observed difference in a study is assumed to be due to chance until statistically proven otherwise.
3. Hypothesis of differences: As its name suggests, this proposes that a difference does exist between the groups or outcomes, which again is the opposite of what the question describes.
4. Alternative hypothesis: The alternative hypothesis is what a researcher tests the null hypothesis against, it states that a difference or effect does exist, and is only accepted when the null hypothesis is statistically rejected.

Only the definition of "no difference between situations, groups and outcomes" corresponds exactly to the null hypothesis.

Therefore, the correct answer is Null hypothesis.