Research Study Types and Hypothesis Formulation

Types of Research Studies

Exploratory Studies

• Objective: To examine an issue or research problem rarely studied or not yet addressed.
• Increase familiarity with little-known phenomena.
• Rarely an end in themselves.

Descriptive Studies

• Aim to specify the important qualities of any phenomenon to be tested.
• Select a range of issues and measure each independently to describe what is being researched.
• Require considerable knowledge of the area under investigation to formulate specific questions.
• Can offer rudimentary predictions.

Correlational Studies

• Aim to measure the degree of relationship between two or more variables.
• Measure two or more variables in the same subjects to determine if they are related, then analyze the correlation.
• Their usefulness lies in understanding how one concept or variable behaves by knowing the behavior of one or more related variables.
• Have explanatory value, but only partial.
• Caution: Watch out for spurious correlations.

Explanatory Studies

• Respond to the causes of physical and social events.
• Are more structured than previous types and involve their own specific purposes.

Hypothesis Formulation

A variable is a property or characteristic observable in an object of study. Variables acquire scientific value if they can interact with others.

• Dependent Variable (Y): These variables are what researchers aim to explain, or are the subject of research, which attempts to explain them in terms of other variables.
• Independent Variable (X): These are the explanatory variables, or factors likely to explain the dependent variables.

A hypothesis is an attempt to explain the phenomena to be studied, articulated at the outset of an investigation.

Research Hypotheses (H1, H2, H3, etc.)

Tentative propositions about the possible relationships between two or more variables that meet specific requirements.

Types of Research Hypotheses:

1. Descriptive Hypotheses: State the value of a variable in a context or the manifestation of another variable.

   Example: "The anxiety level of young alcoholics will be high."

2. Correlational Hypotheses: Propose a relationship between variables.

   Example: "The greater the exposure to highly erotic videos, the greater the manifestation of strategies to address the opposite sex."

3. Hypotheses of Differences Between Groups: Compare variables across different groups.

   Example: "The persuasive effect of smoking cessation commercials on adolescents is not the same for those who see the color version as for those who see the black and white version."

4. Causal Hypotheses: Establish cause-and-effect relationships between dependent and independent variables.

   Example: "Parental family disruption causes low self-esteem in children."

Null Hypotheses (H0)

The null hypothesis is the opposite of the research hypothesis, stating no relationship or difference.

Alternative Hypotheses (Ha)

These are formulated when there are further possibilities for explanation beyond the research and null hypotheses, often representing an alternative explanation if the null hypothesis is rejected.

Conceptual and Operational Definitions

Defining variables is necessary because:

• It ensures everyone who reads the research understands the variables in the same way.
• It ensures variables can be tested in reality.
• It allows for comparison of our research with similar studies.
• It helps better evaluate results because the variables have been contextualized.

Conceptual Definition

• Defines the variable using other terms, similar to dictionary definitions.
• Necessary but insufficient because they do not directly relate to empirical reality.

Operational Definition

• A set of procedures describing the activities an observer must perform to receive sensory impressions that indicate the presence of a theoretical concept to a greater or lesser degree.
• Essentially, it defines "what should I do to measure a variable."
• When multiple alternatives exist, choose the best option based on context, reliability, and validity.