hypothesis
Let an agent help formulate, evaluate and test hypotheses, distinguish hypotheses from theories and speculation, and present unconfirmed hypotheses with appropriate uncertainty and attribution.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent help formulate, evaluate and test hypotheses, distinguish hypotheses from theories and speculation, and present unconfirmed hypotheses with appropriate uncertainty and attribution.
A proposed explanation or testable statement made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for investigation, such as a research hypothesis in science, a taxon hypothesis in biology, or speculative proposals like panspermia; a good hypothesis is falsifiable, and hypotheses become theories only after extensive testing and support.
What it is for: Scientific reasoning and research design.
It can be formulate a testable hypothesis; design tests and identify predictions; distinguish hypothesis, theory and speculation; present hypotheses with attribution and uncertainty.
Distinguishing features
Proposed explanation
Testable and falsifiable
Provisional
Basis of investigation
What it looks like
Not physical; statements in research and reasoning.
How it is recognised
Testable statements
Null and alternative forms in statistics
A theory is a well-supported explanatory framework
Related models
is a kind of - category
is a kind of - category
is tested by - method
is related to - reasoning
In practice
Families and kinds
research hypotheses
statistical null and alternative hypotheses
taxonomic hypotheses
speculative scientific hypotheses
working hypotheses in everyday reasoning
Standards and regulation
Research integrity and preregistration norms
Statistical reporting guidelines
Failure modes and hazards
Presenting hypotheses as facts
Unfalsifiable claims
HARKing and p-hacking
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Also registered as vr.tr.hypothesis
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Formulate Making a hypothesis.
Testable and clear.
State
Stating it.
State
Stating.
- What is the hypothesis, stated precisely and testably? definition
- What would falsify it? boundary
Predictions
Deriving predictions.
Predictions
Predictions.
- Which observable predictions follow from the hypothesis? action
- Which alternatives predict differently? definition
Test Testing.
Design matters.
Design
Study design.
Design
Design.
- How can the hypothesis be tested, and what design controls confounds? action
- Should the study be preregistered? boundary
Statistics
Null hypotheses.
Statistics
Statistics.
- What are the null and alternative hypotheses, and which test applies? definition
- What do p-values and effect sizes mean here? definition
Status Hypothesis or theory.
Words matter.
Terms
Terminology.
Terms
Terminology.
- Is this a hypothesis, a theory or speculation, and how is the term used in this field? definition
- Is uncertainty communicated clearly? boundary
Speculative
Famous hypotheses.
Speculative
Famous hypotheses.
- What is the status of hypotheses such as panspermia, according to the scientific community? provenance
- Who proposed them, and what evidence exists? provenance
Practice Everyday and research use.
Reasoning skill.
Everyday
Working hypotheses.
Everyday
Working hypotheses.
- How can hypothesis thinking help solve this practical problem? action
- How can confirmation bias be avoided? action
Integrity
Research integrity.
Integrity
Integrity.
- Which practices such as preregistration guard against HARKing and p-hacking? provenance
- How should negative results be reported? action
What the second pass must settle
- Should statistical hypothesis testing be a separate entry?
- How should preregistration resources be linked?
- How should speculative hypotheses be labelled?